Waiting For the World to Fall
by Inscriffany
Summary: Sixteen years after the fall of Sunnydale, Buffy is approached by Harry Potter who needs the Slayers' help protecting Hogwarts and the wizarding world from a new threat. Can they work together to face an old foe?
1. A Choice

A/N: Thought I would try a crossover that keeps in line with where both series ended. This takes place about 16 years after Chosen and approximately 19 or 20 after Deathly Hallows. The main characters from both verses are around the same age and anyone who died in either series should remain so.

A/N 2: Edited for plot credibility. I noticed during a recent re-read that I set the first scene in mid-October and then it was magically the middle of summer in the next, so I fixed a few things at the beginning. The next chapter should be up soon as well!

Summary: After defeating the First in Sunnydale, Buffy Summers and the remaining players from the Sunnydale gang made it their mission to locate all of the new Slayers that were popping up all over the globe. They re-structured the Watcher's Council from the inside out and have been working for the last 16 years to train the new Slayers, equipping them to go back home with a Watcher and protect their homes and surrounding areas without worrying about the entire world. After Harry succeeded in killing Voldemort, he entered Auror training and quickly rose through the ranks to become Head of the Auror Department. Things have been relatively quiet in the Wizarding World; however, he and his compatriots occasionally run into a few Death Eaters who are bent on the total destruction of Muggles. A new threat is beginning to rise, putting both Buffy and Harry and there loved ones in danger. This is nothing new for either of them, but when the two worlds collide, will it be enough to stop the return of an old foe?

Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to or ownership of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Harry Potter and subsequent stories or characters. No copyright infringement is intended on either works of creative genius. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the property of creator Joss Whedon and Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.

_"This is the part where you make a choice…" Buffy, Chosen_

It was mid-July in Bulgaria and the sweltering heat of summer was such that anyone not used to the heat felt as though they could wear the air. A young woman walked briskly along a nearly deserted road, wiping the sweat from her brow and wished fervently that she would be blessed with even the smallest of breezes. The man striding along next to her glanced over and frowned. "You are warm?" He asked, his Bulgarian accent very thick.

"A little," the woman agreed.

"Here," he said, taking her lightweight cape from her arm. "The summers are very humid in Bulgaria, but I am used to the weather."

She released the cape gratefully and shook her arms lightly by her side, trying to stir up a little air. "Thank you, Viktor."

Viktor Krum grunted in response. He was unsure about this woman walking beside him. There was something different about her that he couldn't quite put his finger on, but Dawn Summers was slowly beginning to win him over.

Dawn and Viktor walked in silence for a while as Dawn took in her surroundings. Tall trees were silhouetted against the darkening sky. The moon shone full and bright and Dawn found herself thinking of another place and time when the full moon was more dangerous than beautiful. The stars were beginning to twinkle as well and Dawn sighed, enjoying the sight of them. Living in London meant that she didn't get to experience the night sky for its true beauty very often.

"Ve are nearly there," Viktor said, breaking the silence.

"Will I be able to see it?" Dawn wondered aloud. "Giles said that non-magical people can't see most wizard schools."

Dawn had been briefed about typical Wizarding culture and education before she had left for Bulgaria to locate another girl who had been recently called. The circumstances were very different this time, as Mena Emerson was a witch in her third year of schooling at Durmstrang. Buffy had decided to send Dawn on this mission as her usual recruiters were all detained getting other girls to bring back to London. Willow and another Slayer, Bryanna, had flown to Scotland two days ago because the Council's Seers had found two new girls, and Xander had gone to South Africa for another one. All of these girls would hopefully be heading back to London to begin their Slayer training.

After Willow had used the power of the scythe to give all Slayer Potentials the power of the Slayer sixteen years ago, Buffy had made it her mission to find all of the girls all over the world and train them. Along with Giles, the two of them had completely reformed and restructured the Watcher's Council. It had taken several years to get a good system down and start running things smoothly, but Dawn could hardly remember the first few years as shortly thereafter, she had gone to school at Oxford and hadn't been around.

Although she had known that Buffy would have hired her to be a part of the Council without a degree, Dawn knew instinctively that her degree in linguistics would make her a valuable asset. She had graduated at the top of her class and had recently completed her doctorate. The ability to understand, speak, and translate several languages had helped Dawn to rise quickly as a full-fledged Watcher and Buffy had given her the additional position of the Council's Chief Linguistics Analyst.

"I think you vill be able to see the school," Viktor answered slowly, bringing Dawn out of her reverie. "Most Muggles cannot because they do not know about it, but if you know vot you are looking for, you can find it."

Not even a moment after he had said it, a large, stone castle appeared as if from out of thin air on a high hill ahead of them. Dawn gasped with astonishment.

Viktor gave an awkward smile. "I remember the first time I saw the castle. I felt very small when I looked up at it."

"Kind of how I feel right now?" Dawn grinned at him. "I've honestly never seen anything like it. I wish I had been a witch and gone to a school like yours."

Krum secretly wished the same thing.

"I never asked," Dawn said, "what do you do there?"

"I am the flying instructor and Quidditch coach," he answered.

"Okay, forgive me because I am obviously magically inept, but what in the frilly heck is 'Quidditch'?"

Apparently this had been the thing that they should have been talking about since Viktor had picked Dawn up at the train station. Quidditch was obviously his first love and Dawn listened attentively as he described the rules of the game and all of the games he had attended or played in for the Bulgarian team several years ago. This lecture in the wizarding sport took them right to the doors of the castle, where Viktor pointed his wand at one of the large granite doors, gave the wand a little wave and the door opened with a large groan.

"Follow me," Viktor said. "She will be in classes right now." Viktor began to walk briskly along the hallways of the school, Dawn looking every which direction as she trotted slightly behind him.

Unfamiliar with the ways of wizarding schools, Dawn hadn't earlier questioned why this new slayer was in school in the middle of the summer. Now following her guide, it occurred to her that this seemed slightly out of the norm. "So, do you guys have summer school or something? Because it occurs to me that I don't usually come find girls at school in the middle of the summer."

Viktor nodded. "Some times we have students who want to further their education and get ahead so they take classes in the summer." He paused in front of a large oak door. "Wait here," Viktor said quietly. "I will get Mena."

Dawn waited patiently outside while Viktor went into the classroom. Carved into the wall across the hallway was a circle with what looked like a large stick crossing through it surrounded by a large triangle had just caught her attention when the door opened again and Viktor entered the hallway with a young girl right behind him.

She was very small, even for her age of thirteen, Dawn noticed immediately. Her white-blonde hair was cut in a chin-length bob, giving her the appearance of a very pale elf. Dark brown eyes looked up inquisitively at Dawn, who smiled gently.

"Hello," she greeted the girl softly. "My name is Dawn and I've come to talk to you about something."

"Is it about why I am so strong all of a sudden?"

Dawn nodded, taken aback. This girl certainly didn't beat around the bush. "Have you noticed anything else lately? Besides being strong?"

Before Mena could answer, Viktor jumped in. "I do not mean to interrupt, but perhaps we should take this some place more private."

Dawn nodded her agreement and she and Mena followed him to a deserted classroom. Once Viktor had left the room and shut the door, Dawn turned back to Mena.

"I am very fast," Mena continued, her accent nearly as thick as Viktor's. "And, when I have been hurt, I-" she stopped, wondering if this woman standing before her would believe what she was going to say next.

"You what?" Dawn asked, sure she knew the answer.

"I heal very fast. I think I might have broken my wrist last week, but it was fine the next day."

Dawn only smiled and nodded with understanding. Taking a deep breath, she began to tell Mena the reason she was there. She always found this to be the hardest part. "Mena, I'm going to tell you something that might be hard to accept, but I ask that you please listen to what I have to say."

Mena nodded and looked attentively at Dawn.

"I work for a group of people, called the Watcher's Council," Dawn began. "A long time ago, these men decided that this girl should fight demons and monsters and other evil things. For generations, there was always only one girl in the whole world who had the strength and skill to fight the vampires, until about sixteen years ago when one of these girls decided to change everything and now any girl who might have been a Slayer, will be a Slayer. One of the witches in our coven discovered that you are a Slayer, Mena, and I am here to ask if you would come back to London with me to begin your training."

To say that Mena looked shocked would have been an understatement. A gamut of emotions crossed over the girl's face until she finally settled for one of resigned sadness. "I do not have a choice? I must go with you?"

Dawn shook her head. "You always have a choice. That was the whole point of sharing the power. See, Buffy never had a choice really. She couldn't walk away from it, one because that's just who she is, but also because she was the only one who could fight. We give all the girls who have been called the chance to decide what they want to do. I can only recommend that you come and train for a few months so that you can learn how to control your strength. Beyond that, it is entirely your decision."

Mena sighed. "I vill go with you. But where will I go to school? I wish to continue my magical schooling."

Dawn frowned. "I'm not sure. We'll figure something out once we get back to London. As for right now, if you would like to pack your things and say goodbye to your friends, I will be waiting in the headmaster's office."

"What will I tell them?" Mena wondered out loud.

"That is entirely up to you," Dawn said. "You can tell them the truth if you want to, but it may put them in danger. Or tell them you have been accepted into a special program and you will contact them soon to tell them more about it."

Mena nodded and stood, facing Dawn. "How long do I have?"

"As long as you need," Dawn said, also rising to her feet. "I will be waiting for you."

As Mena took off in the direction of her dormitory, Dawn looked down the hallway, wondering exactly where the headmaster's office was located. Just as she was about to go in the opposite direction Mena had, Viktor came back around the corner. "I saw Mena leaving," he explained. "How did it go?"

"Surprisingly well," Dawn told him. "She accepted everything I told her immediately and she's gone to pack and say her goodbyes."

"The headmaster's office is down this hallvay," Krum pointed to a corridor to their left.

"Say, Viktor," Dawn said suddenly, "Mena was concerned about how she was going to continue her magical education. Any thoughts?"

"Vell, there is Hogwarts," Krum said thoughtfully. "It is the most famous school of witchcraft and wizardry in England."

Dawn clapped her hands together loudly and jumped as the sound echoed off the stone walls. "Perfect! I'm sure we can work something out now. Mena will be so pleased!"

At last, they reached a large statue of someone who looked vaguely familiar to Dawn. They stood in front of it and Viktor placed a large, rough hand on its gray stone foot, speaking to it. "Deathly Hallows."

The statue slowly moved aside, the sound of granite scraping against granite echoing down the hallway. "He has left," a low, gravelly voice emitted from it, "but you may go in."

Dawn followed Viktor into a large room where he sat down, but she continued to look around, completely in awe of everything. The room itself was three levels, each one a different shape. Several portraits hung on the walls, the largest one of a man with long gray hair and beard hung behind the desk where Viktor sat, and Dawn could have sworn she heard someone snoring. The view of snowcapped mountains was visible from the large picture window facing the northern sky. Dawn stifled a gasp as something that looked remarkably like a dragon flew off in the distance.

What caught Dawn's eye, however, was not any of these things. No, she had once again caught sight of the symbol she had seen earlier carved into the wall. A circle with a line through it, surrounded by a triangle. It was obviously important, but what did it mean? "Viktor," she said, startling him, "what is that symbol?"

"Ah." Viktor shifted uncomfortably. "I don't suppose you haff ever heard of Grindelwald?"

Dawn frowned at him from across the room. "I think I remember reading about him when I was training to become a Watcher. He killed a ton of people back in the 1940's and ended being sentenced to life in prison, didn't he? But I don't see what he has to do with the wizarding world."

"He was a very famous wizard many years ago. Many people believed this was his symbol, but it was his desire to find the things that the symbol represents. If he had been successful in uniting the items, he would have been the conqueror of death."

"He should have just talked to Buffy," Dawn muttered.

"What?"

"Sorry, never mind. So I take it he didn't succeed then?"

Viktor shook his head. "Many Muggles lost their lives in his quest for 'the greater good'. He was defeated in a vizarding duel against a very powerful wizard, Albus Dumbledore, and sent to Nurmengard, where he eventually died."

"Sucks to be him. So this Grindelwald guy carved the symbol into the wall then?"

"Yes. And our current headmaster keeps it here to remind himself how dangerous it would be to go looking for the items. We are well-known for our dark arts education, but we are not stupid. The quest for immortality is very dangerous."

"I definitely concur," Dawn said, sitting in the overstuffed armchair across from the desk. "Does this symbol have a name, then? I mean, what is it exactly?"

"It can be found in an old wizard fairy tale," Viktor replied, "its secrets hidden within the pages of a children's book so that only the most discerning of wizards vould know the truth. The symbol is known as the Deathly Hallows. The line represents the Elder Wand or Deathstick. It has been the cause off many bloody battles in wizarding history. The triangle is an Invisibility cloak that will hide and protect it's user from most curses. And the circle is the Resurrection Stone vich will bring the holder's loved ones back from the dead, but they are separated by a veil."

"And if someone were to unite all three of the Hallows, they would defeat death?"

Viktor nodded.

"Has anyone tried to do that since Grindelwald?"

"There were rumors, many years ago, but the only known item still in existence is the Invisibility cloak."

Dawn sat back in the chair, her fingers steepled underneath her chin and closed her eyes in thought. Finding the Deathly Hallows was certainly a heady idea, but, as Viktor had said, very dangerous. No, it was better instead to return to the Council with Mena and continue on with the mission they had set forth so many years ago.

Just then, the door to the headmaster's office slowly opened and Mena Emerson entered awkwardly, a large trunk behind her, and resting on top of it was a large cage which held a beautiful eagle owl whose head was hidden under its wing. As for Mena, she was looking fixedly at the floor, her bangs hanging forward, shoulders shaking silently.

Dawn quickly rose to her feet and strode over to the young girl. Putting an arm over Mena's shoulders, Dawn pulled her into a tight embrace. "It's hard to leave, I know," she whispered. "Are you having second thoughts?"

Mena shook her head. "No. This is my calling. My mother always taught me the utmost devotion to whatever destiny has in store for me."

"Let's go then," Dawn said, taking the owl's cage. "Do you need help with your trunk?" She looked at Mena then laughed. "No, of course you don't. Let's be off."

Viktor walked over to hold the door open as Dawn and Mena backed their way into the antechamber outside the office. "It vos very nice to meet you," he said gruffly.

"Oh, Viktor," Dawn said, looking up at him. "Thank you so much for all your help. Um, but I do have one more thing to ask you."

Viktor raised a bushy eyebrow.

"How are we getting back to London?"

"You will take a Portkey."

"Huh?"

Mena placed a hand on the older woman's arm. "Don't worry," she said. "I'll show you how."

Viktor pulled a small trinket out of his robes and offered it to Dawn who looked at it, confusion evident on her face. "Okay, I don't get it."

"This object has a spell placed on it that will transport you to the Watcher's Council. Mena will take the Floo Netvork since she has so many belongings. All you need to do his touch the necklace."

Still skeptical, Dawn did as she was told, gasping as she felt herself spinning faster and faster, hurtling through space. Finally, she stopped without warning and landed face first on some very plush carpet. Feeling more embarrassed than anything, Dawn rose and began to brush herself off, not giving much mind to her surroundings. At last, she looked up and found herself face to face with a man she had never seen before. He had long, almost silvery, white hair that had been pulled back into a sleek ponytail, ice blue eyes and a cold gaze to match. He wore emerald green wizarding robes, obviously made from the finest of materials.

"Oops," Dawn said sheepishly. "Must have made a wrong turn somewhere."

The man merely continued to glower at her, lips pressed together.

"So," Dawn continued brightly, "who are you?"

_London, England_

The day had ended and the people of London were scurrying about, trying to get home from a long day's work. Most of them hardly noticed the brick building on the corner of Gloucester Road as it looked completely normal. It stood about five stories tall, had plenty of windows and its sloping roof was made entirely of windows. This was, perhaps, the most interesting thing about the building. Other than that, passersby never gave a thought to what might be going on inside. Had anyone ever bothered to look in one of the windows, they might have been shocked at what they would find.

Besides black marble floors in the foyer, there was a library in the center of the building that reached all five stories. Each floor contained three training rooms for sparring and working out, an auditorium-like conference room could be found on the east side, and several plush offices were located on the upper floors. Even more amazing was the fact that each of the training rooms were filled to capacity with girls of all ages at all hours of the day, and each of these girls, although they did not look like much, were Vampire Slayers.

Buffy Summers, the oldest Slayer in the history of the Slayer line, was in such a room at the moment overseeing thirty girls who had come from all over the world to the Watcher's Council to train and become the women they were meant to be. Most of them were very young although none was younger than thirteen, as this was the age they had decided the Potentials would come into their power. The older girls helped the younger ones by giving pointers during training sessions and Buffy leaned against the wall, smiling to herself as one of her veterans showed a young girl with short, curly brown hair how to perfect her roundhouse kick.

After a moment, she stepped away from the wall and clapped her hands together two times. The sound echoed through the room and the Slayers immediately stopped what they were doing and turned to face Buffy, at complete attention. "You all look great! Pretty soon you won't need me at all and then I can take that vacation I've been wanting for thirty-three years," she joked. The girls all giggled, exchanging glances with one another. Typically, when Buffy started joking it meant that she wanted them to try something new and very difficult. Indeed, when she began to speak a moment later, she had lost her lighthearted tone. "I feel very confident in letting a few of you out into the field within the next week," she began. Murmurs of excitement began to spread through the crowd. "Don't get too excited yet. I need to work out a plan first. Now, as for you girls who have only been a here a short time, this is the time for you to start getting out from under the older girls' shadows. I know their help has been invaluable to you and I have told you time and again that we are all family here. However, you will not always be able to rely on the strength of others. Use this time to build your own strength and--"

But what else they were supposed to do, they didn't get to hear because the door to the training room was suddenly flung open, causing everyone to jump with surprise. A young man with dark blonde hair burst into the room, gasping. "Buffy!"

Buffy couldn't help but roll her eyes. "What is it Andrew? You're interrupting an important training session."

"Oh, sorry." He looked around and noticed all the girls standing around not doing anything. "If they're training, why isn't there more fighting?" He asked, turning back to Buffy, then paling a bit when she turned the evil eye on him. "It's Mr. Giles. He said he needs to speak with you because it's very important. "

"Giles?" Buffy walked briskly over to where Andrew was standing.

Andrew nodded. "He said he got a phone call from someone and he really needed to talk to you."

"Okay," Buffy said. "Just give me a minute. Ladies, you are free to go. Excellent work this evening!"

Andrew hurriedly pushed the door back open, giving himself and Buffy just enough time to get out before the stampede of Slayers completely crushed them. "Sorry to interrupt the training," he said as he trotted along beside Buffy. "Mr. Giles said he wouldn't have sent me, but it was 'of vital importance that he spoke with you immediately'," Andrew told her, adopting a British accent as he echoed Giles.

"It's okay, Andrew," Buffy reassured him. "We were almost done anyway." They reached the elevator and rode up to the fifth floor in silence, both looking up at the digital screen as the floor numbers flashed methodically by. At last, the elevator reached the fifth floor and Andrew hung back as Buffy exited into the hallway.

"I've got some things to take care of," he said.

"Thanks, Andrew. I think I can take it from here," Buffy smiled at him as the elevator doors closed. Then she turned and walked briskly down the hallway to Giles' office. Her thoughts whirling as she tried to think what could be so urgent, Buffy took a deep breath, smoothed down her hair a bit and knocked on the door.

"Come in," called a muffled voice.

Buffy opened the door slowly and poked her head inside. "Mr. Wells said you were in need of my company," she said, assuming a fake British accent.

Giles looked up from the desk, his expression relaxing slightly when he caught sight of her. "Ah. Yes, Buffy, come in. Sit down."

Buffy did as she was told and looked across the desk at Giles who had resigned to looking back down at the desk. Buffy continued to look the top of his head, which was still covered by thick, wavy hair, and began to drum her fingers on her thigh. This went on for about half a minute before Buffy decided she could stand it no longer. "Giles," she said.

"Hmmm?"

"I'm getting married."

"That's good. Very good," he muttered distractedly.

"Okay, so that didn't work," Buffy murmured under her breath. "Let's try this one: Giles?"

"Hmmm?"

"I'm going to have a baby, but it's the product of a wild and passionate night with Clem. Who do you think it'll look like? Because I don't think I can afford that much skin cream."

"That's…what??" Giles finally looked up, staring at Buffy in shock.

"Finally," Buffy said, exasperated. "You are way distracted, Giles. What's up?"

Giles removed his glasses and frowned as he looked through them. "I can't ever seem to keep these clean," he remarked. "I just spoke with a very interesting man. Kingsley Shacklebolt."

"Who's he?" Buffy asked curiously.

"The British Prime Minister of Magic," Giles said, looking at Buffy to gage her reaction.

"The British Prime Minister of _who?"_

Giles hid a smile. "Actually, that would be a what, but that's beside the point. Apparently, there is a whole other world of witches and wizards we have been completely unaware of."

It was now Buffy's turn to frown as she stared at Giles. "Where have they been?" She finally asked.

"According to Mr. Shacklebolt," Giles told her, "they have been living in secret alongside humans for several hundreds of years. There are wizarding communities located all over Europe and Britain as well as a few wizarding schools."

"They have _schools_ for people who can do magic? Wait till Willow hears this," she muttered.

Giles nodded. "I had the same thought," he told her. "Why wouldn't they have contacted Willow and offered her a place at Hogwarts? But the Hellmouth would have blocked any trace the Ministry of Magic might have out on Willow."

"Okay, two things," Buffy began, "one, what in the heck is _'Hogwarts'_ and two, they have a Ministry of Magic?"

"Hogwarts is the school for witches and wizards located in Britain. And yes, they have a Ministry of Magic."

"So what did this Tacklebox guy want anyway?" Buffy asked, finally trying to get Giles to cut to the chase.

Giles shook his head amazed that even after so many years Buffy could always find a way to butcher somebody's name. "Shacklebolt," he corrected her automatically. "He wants protection for Hogwarts. There is evidence of a new dark wizard on the rise and there is fear for the student's safety. There has been much debate, I hear, about the Ministry mixing company with the Slayers, and Shacklebolt's decision has not been very popular with some of the more influential members of the wizarding world."

Buffy's eyes narrowed. She suspected this Ministry of Magic was run very much like the way the Council had been in the past. "And why don't they like the idea?" She asked, a tone of irritation entering her voice.

"Many wizards have the view that Muggles do not belong in their world. They prefer to keep the magic within those who are considered purebloods. And you, along with the other Slayers, pose a new threat as you are something with which they have never come into contact."

"Some_thing_?" Buffy glared over the desk at Giles, who flushed.

"Well, you are somewhat other than human," he offered feebly. "At any rate, this Shacklebolt fellow wishes for you to meet with the head of their Auror department." Seeing that Buffy was going to ask him what exactly an _Auror_ was, he added, "The Aurors are evidently the magical world's version of the FBI. I believe the man's name was Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter, huh? And what do we know about Harry Potter?" Buffy asked, leaning back and crossing her arms over her small frame.

Giles then launched into an explanation of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. He told Buffy the entire tragic story of how a wizard named Voldemort (here he paused, saying that most wizards didn't even say the name because everyone was so afraid of him) killed Harry's parents and then tried to murder Harry as well, but the spell backfired and Harry survived while "You-Know-Who" was reduced to a mere shadow. Fast forward about sixteen years later, and about the same time Buffy had put a sword through her ex-lover's heart, Harry was defeating this Voldemort chap. He had joined the Aurors and quickly became Head of the Auror Department. Shacklebolt was hoping that Harry and Buffy could meet and work together to protect Hogwarts and possibly bring down this new power, Giles finally concluded.

Buffy nodded slowly, still digesting everything. She saw a lot of herself in this Harry Potter. Both called to do great things for the good of mankind, both had beaten death; a few times, from the sound of things, and they both held the weight of the world on their shoulders. "The Girl Who Died meets the Boy Who Lived," she murmured. "When will I meet him?"

Before Giles could answer, a voice spoke into the room, unoccupied save for Buffy and Giles. "Mr. Harry Potter requests a meeting with Buffy Summers, Vampire Slayer," it said.

Buffy's eyes widened as she realized that the portrait behind Giles had just moved. "Um, Giles, did you know that that picture just spoke?"

Giles smiled awkwardly. "Er, yes. That was how I knew that Mr. Shacklebolt was coming."

"Ohh-kayy," Buffy responded, still slightly wigged at the sight of a talking portrait.

"Mr. Potter awaits your answer," the portrait said again.

Buffy jumped. "Oh! Um, tell him I'll see him," she stammered.

The man in portrait bowed, turned around and walked out of the side of the painting until he had disappeared completely. Buffy's mouth hung open in shock. "And I thought I'd seen just about everything," she murmured disbelievingly.

"As had I," Giles responded with a teasing grin, "but I never thought I would see the day when you were speechless."

"Oh, shut up," Buffy retorted.

Giles was about to counter with a scathing remark, when he saw Buffy's mouth fall open again and her finger pointing at something behind him. He leapt up from his chair, and quickly spun around, wishing he had something more than his fists available to him at the moment, and saw a grown man climbing out of the portrait behind him. "Dear Lord!" He exclaimed loudly.

"Sorry," the man offered, smiling apologetically. "I forget that Muggles aren't used to wizarding forms of travel." He was tall and well-built, he wore clothes that Buffy could only assume were normal wizarding apparel; underneath the emerald green cloak, he wore all black, a stark contrast to his somewhat pale face. He had dark hair that stuck up all over, yet it had that sort of flattened look as though he had tried to tame it but eventually had given up the battle. In the middle of his forehead was a lightning shaped scar, but the thing that drew Buffy's attention the most were his piercing green eyes. She found herself staring into them and only came out of her reverie when the man introduced himself. "Harry Potter," he said, holding out a hand.

Buffy jumped up and took it, shaking it profusely. "Nice to meet you," she breathed. "I'm Buffy."

Harry gently withdrew his hand from her grasp and massaged it, wincing as he did so. "Nice grip you've got there," he joked.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry!" Buffy exclaimed, the embarrassment causing red spots to form on her face.

Giles finally spoke. He had been examining the portrait, trying to find if it had some kind of dimensional portal he had never noticed before. It looked completely normal. "Please, sit down," he said, pointing at another armchair which was the twin to the one Buffy was currently occupying.

Harry did so obligingly, clasping his hands over a long wooden stick that lay in his lap. "Thank you for meeting with me," he turned to Buffy. "Kingsley thinks that it would be a good idea for us to work together."

"So I hear," Buffy replied. "How is this all supposed to work exactly? I mean, do you expect all of us to just pack up and go to some magical school without knowing any magic or anything? My girls are good in a fight, but something about magic just gives me the chills. They don't know how to fight that. I'm not even sure if they could even if they did know how."

Harry listened patiently as this girl who looked like a good breeze might blow her over voiced her concerns. He raised one eyebrow at her. "Did you think we would let you go unprepared?" Harry finally asked. "I have done much research on you and this Watcher's Council. You will all receive magical training before the start of the school term in September and you will all continue with that training so to better protect he students."

"I can't do magic," Buffy protested.

Harry smiled, his eyes twinkling just as another wizard had done many years ago. "You only think you can't. Not everyone can pick up a wand and perform magic, but the Slayer is created out of a magical essence. You have the innate ability; you just haven't learned how to use it."

"Oh."

"Now, I understand if you don't want to bring all of the girls to Hogwarts. There is no reason the Council can't remain in operation under someone else's command," Harry told her. "Besides that, I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket."

Buffy nodded in agreement. "We have another location in Rome for that exact purpose," she said. "So tell me more about this new dark power guy. Is he enough to pose a threat?"

Harry looked out the window, wondering how much to tell her. It wasn't that anything was a secret, exactly, he just wasn't sure how much to he could trust this woman. "He could be," he admitted finally. "We went to school together and he always had the students in his house in his back pocket because of his father's influence."

"House?" Buffy interrupted.

"Like dormitories," Harry explained patiently. "Anyway, I suppose if anyone were going to try to take up the mantle of the next dark lord, it would be him."

Buffy nodded slowly. "And is he very powerful?"

"He's been laying low for a while now which is why we're getting concerned," Harry said. "Besides that, there have been many unexplained disappearances recently. He was a decent wizard while we were at Hogwarts and he's certainly had enough time to become stronger and more powerful," he added.

"Disappearances? Isn't that enough cause for alarm?" Giles interjected.

It was then Harry's turn to nod. "It's like Voldemort all over again," he said. "In fact, a young woman disappeared right out of another wizarding school earlier this evening. I received intelligence about it just before I came to meet with you from an ally at the school."

"What does he want?" Buffy asked directly. "I mean, bad guys usually have something they're working for; what's his MO?"

Harry frowned, trying to rack his brain. "Y'know, I'm not entirely sure. Knowing this guy, he probably just wants more power and the notoriety that comes along with being a dark wizard."

"Okay, so no known goal, check," Buffy said. "But you're certain that the students will be in danger from this guy?"

"It's a safe assumption at this point until we know more. Last time, with Voldemort, the students were mostly kept in the dark due to the Ministry's interference." Harry scowled as he stared down at his hand, scars that had faded long ago suddenly seemed to stand out to Buffy as she looked down too, her eyes widening with horror and revulsion. _I must not tell lies. _"I want the students to be prepared to fight. Many of them are more than capable to do so and that's partly where you all come in. I want you there to protect them, yes, but I also want you to help train them to be battle-ready."

"So a 'hands-on' approach, then?" Buffy asked, looking to Harry for confirmation, who nodded. "How many of us do you want?"

Harry did a quick mental calculation. "Let's see, there are four houses, if we had two of you per house, yes, yes, that would be fine. Could you provide eight girls?"

"Yeah, I think we can manage that," Buffy said laughing. "You do know that we have hundreds of girls to choose from, don't you?"

"Well, yes, but as I said, I don't want to deplete you of your resources. Could you put together a list of the Slayers you might be bringing and give it to me by tomorrow?" Buffy nodded, making herself a mental note. "Good. Now that we have all of the business out of the way, I wouldn't be opposed to a tour of the Council," Harry said, rising from his seat. "I'd like to see how you do things around here."

Buffy stood as well and looked at Giles questioningly. "You go on ahead," he said to her. "We can discuss which girls will be good options later."

Nodding, Buffy led the way out the door and down the hallway. It took about an hour for Buffy to show Harry the entire layout of the Council, including it's very extensive occult library. "My friend Hermione would have kittens if she ever walked into this place," Harry commented upon first entering. As Buffy gave him the tour, she launched into an explanation of how everything they were looking at had come to pass. She told him about Glory and how she had died to save the world and the fact that her resurrection had caused irrevocable damage to the Slayer line, which of course had led to the defeat of the First and the Calling of all Potential Slayers.

"I think if the Council hadn't been made up of a bunch of pompous old British men who were too stuck up on their high horses to come down to earth and help us, things between us may have gone a lot smoother," Buffy said. "No offense."

"None taken," Harry replied, "as I am neither pompous, old, or stuck up on my high horse. But I understand what you mean. Back when Voldemort had risen to power the second time, the Minister of Magic at the time actually had the gall to ask me to 'pop in and out of the Ministry occasionally' to put on the appearance that we were working together."

"What did you tell him," Buffy asked, aghast.

"I said that would mean that I supported what the Ministry was doing, and I didn't. They spread rumors and lies about me for a year before they finally believed me. I wasn't about to hop on the Ministry of Magic Support Train just then."

"What changed?"

"Kingsley Shacklebolt became the Minister. It happened almost immediately after I killed Voldemort. He did a complete overhaul of the Ministry, especially since Death Eaters had infiltrated, and now everyone goes through extensive background checks. He's also not nearly as power hungry as Fudge and Scrimgeour were, so he doesn't feel threatened by people who are more powerful than he is."

Buffy nodded, understanding this completely. They walked a bit further down the second floor corridor when Harry broke the silence, changing the subject. "So you died huh? What was it like? Did you go to a train station?"

Buffy thought this was a rather odd question and stared at Harry, trying to determine if he was mentally unstable. "A _train station_?"

"Yeah. That's where I went," Harry told her.

"Wait a gosh-darn cotton-pickin' minute here," Buffy stopped in her tracks. "Do you mean to tell me that you died, too?"

Harry shrugged. "More or less."

"And you went to a train station?"

"Apparently."

Buffy nodded slowly, not quite sure what to think. "How did you die?" She finally asked.

Harry then told her about Voldemort and Horcruxes, how he had actually been mistakenly made into one, and that in order for Voldemort to die, he, Harry, would have to die first. "When I went to sacrifice myself, I had no idea that I would ultimately live. It had something to do with the bit of his soul finally being detached from mine, I think. But that act protected all of the people fighting against him from any spells he tried to perform afterwards. It wasn't long after I had come back that one of my friends, Neville, destroyed the final horcrux and I was able to kill Voldemort."

Buffy shook her head in amazement. "Wow. We really do have a lot in common," she remarked finally. "I've still died more times than you have, though."

Harry chuckled amusedly. "Not many people would brag about that, you know."

"I had a hard time with it after coming back the second time," she said, shrugging. "My friends thought they were saving me from a hell dimension. I would have preferred to just stay dead."

Harry raised his eyebrows in shock as he looked down at the petite blond. Buffy noticed this and stopped outside some large oak doors. "It's the price you pay for being the Slayer. An automatic death sentence and a bit of a death wish," she told him, placing a hand on the door knob and turning it. "This is our lounge. Sometimes the girls need a place to come and just chill, you know?"

Harry nodded that he understood completely and followed her inside. Judging by his sharp intake of breath, Buffy saw that he was very impressed. Several girls sat in plush deep red couches and armchairs all chatting animatedly in front of a large fireplace. The wall to the left of them was their computer station where they were encouraged to do homework and keep in contact with their families. No one was ever completely cut off from where they came from; Buffy had made sure of that. A door on the other side of the room led to a small arcade room where they could hear shrieks and laughter. Had it not been for all of the technology, Harry would have been reminded of the Gryffindor common room. "Whoa," he said finally.

Hearing this, several of the girls turned around and gave Harry an appraising glance. He was obviously too old for them, but they didn't get a lot of contact with the other gender and this guy was very pleasing to the eye. Harry smiled at them and one of them actually gave him a small wave and winked at him. "I think I've just been propositioned," he muttered to Buffy who laughed.

"Sorry about that," she said. "Other than Giles and Andrew, you're the first guy they've seen in a long time. They're a little like bulldogs in a butcher shop."

"As evidenced by the drool," Harry grinned.

Buffy stepped forward and rested her arms on top of one of the couches. "All right, girls," she called out, "curfew! Time for bed!"

A multitude of groans rose up from many of the girls as they began heading to the door. "She just wants the room to herself so they can make out," one blonde whispered to her friend.

"I heard that, Trinity," Buffy said. "You'll need to speak a bit quieter if you don't want other people to hear you. And you owe me three extra suicides next training session." The blond, Trinity, groaned but nodded her assent. Suicides here were a bit different from suicides in a typical American high school and all of the girls hated them.

"Good night, girls," Buffy sang out, smiling. Sitting down on one of the couches, she gestured for Harry to join her. He walked over and positioned himself on the armchair to the right of the couch.

"Well, that was interesting," he said, rubbing his hands in front of the fire.

Buffy shrugged apologetically. "Like I said, you're kind a big deal for them."

"I'm not. Really," he insisted. "They would have been disappointed anyway. I'm a very happily married man with three kids."

"Three? Wow. I still haven't found the right guy," Buffy said, staring into the fire. "Or maybe I did and I was too blind to see it."

"I almost was," Harry told her; also looking at the fire's crackling flames. "It took me a long time to even realize I liked this girl and then by the time I came to my senses we only dated for a few weeks before I broke up with her."

"What happened?"

"I had to save the world," he said simply.

Buffy nodded, tears welling in her eyes. Again, she saw just how much they had in common, but in Harry's case, he had found the love of his life and she was still alone. Always alone.

Harry saw how quiet Buffy had become and was about to ask her if she was okay when Andrew burst through the door, a young girl trailing closely behind him. She had short blonde hair and big brown eyes that looked around the room frantically. And she was covered in soot. "Oops," Andrew said, stopping in his tracks. "Sorry to interrupt again Buffy, but there's something here that needs your attention."

Buffy stood and walked over. "What happened?" She whispered to Andrew. Harry had risen from the armchair and led the girl over to sit down in front of the fire.

"I'm not sure," Andrew replied, shaking his head. "She just kind of fell out of the fireplace in the middle of the library. We've been running around trying to find you. She says Dawn should have been here already."

Buffy nodded and sat back down on the coffee table, resting her arms on her knees and taking the young girl's hands. "Are you Mena?" She asked gently.

The girl looked up slowly and nodded. "Where is Dawn?" She asked.

"I was kind of hoping you could tell me," Buffy said.

"Dawn was supposed to be here. She should have been here by now. She took a Portkey and I left a little while after she did through the fire."

Buffy turned to look at Harry. "What's a porky?"

Harry laughed, not used to Buffy's way of botching names of things she wasn't familiar with. "Port Key," he said, trying to emphasize the word. "It's another form of travel that wizards use. Mena," he said, turning to the girl, "why did you Floo instead of taking the portkey?"

"Professor Krum said I had too much stuff to hold on to and hold the Portkey at the same time, so it was easier to just Floo. I guess the Portkey was set for somewhere else."

"Krum? Viktor Krum?" Harry asked urgently.

Mena nodded. "Yes. He teaches flying."

Harry shook his head in disbelief. "I always liked that guy too. Damn!"

Not quite on the same page as Harry and Mena, Buffy began coming to her own conclusions. "Hang on. So Dawn was supposed to take something called a Porky which was supposed to take her here, but it didn't and you apparently sneezed your way through a fireplace, because some guy named Crumb said you had too much stuff? Can anyone say 'trap'?" Buffy's voice began growing more panicked as she questioned Mena, who nodded her affirmation. Buffy turned to Harry, her eyes wide. "Harry," she said, struggling to keep her voice calm, "what was the name of that school that girl disappeared from you mentioned earlier?"

"Durmstrang Institute," Harry said.

"Crap."


	2. You Haven't Even Begun

A/N: Regarding Buffy, et al (Slayer) and dormant magical powers; this is not a fic wherein Buffy or anyone else discovers magical powers beyond belief. The Slayers will be trained in basic magic defense; however, they will depend primarily on the strength and skill that are a part of the slayer package.

A/N: Thought I would try a crossover that keeps in line with where both series ended. This takes place about 16 years after Chosen and approximately 19 or 20 after Deathly Hallows. The main characters from both verses are around the same age and anyone who died in either series should remain so.

Summary: After defeating the First in Sunnydale, Buffy Summers and the remaining players from the Sunnydale gang made it their mission to locate all of the new Slayers that were popping up all over the globe. They re-structured the Watcher's Council from the inside out and have been working for the last 16 years to train the new Slayers, equipping them to go back home with a Watcher and protect their homes and surrounding areas without worrying about the entire world. After Harry succeeded in killing Voldemort, he entered Auror training and quickly rose through the ranks to become Head of the Auror Department. Things have been relatively quiet in the Wizarding World; however, he and his compatriots occasionally run into a few Death Eaters who are bent on the total destruction of Muggles. A new threat is beginning to rise, putting both Buffy and Harry and their loved ones in danger. This is nothing new for either of them, but when the two worlds collide, will it be enough to stop the return of an old foe?

Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to or ownership of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Harry Potter and subsequent stories or characters. No copyright infringement is intended on either works of creative genius. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the property of creator Joss Whedon and Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.

"_You think you know. What's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun." Tara MacClay, Restless; Dracula, Buffy vs. Dracula_

_Aberdeen, Scotland_

Willow missed the old days. She rarely admitted it to anyone but herself anymore, but she often found herself reminiscing about the early days in Sunnydale when it was just Buffy, herself, Xander, and Giles. Now, though, as she was walking up the streets of Aberdeen, Scotland with Bryanna Hainsworth, one of the Slayers she had activated, Willow tried to turn her thoughts to the task at hand; convincing two girls the coven had recently located to come back to the Council and begin their training as Slayers.

Their first meeting, with thirteen year-old Emery Taggart, had gone relatively well, all things considered. Emery was very sweet and personable; she had obviously been spoiled and sheltered throughout much of her young life and her parents were incredibly protective of their little girl. Willow was glad that Bryanna had been there, as the seventeen year old had been about the same age when she was Called, and could help calm the poor girl's parents. They were reluctant at first, actually very disbelieving that there could be such things as vampires and demons, but Emery had agreed to going to a local graveyard after sunset with both Willow and Bryanna.

Meeting with sixteen year-old Fionna Drummond had gone quite differently. She was certainly pleasant enough and very agreeable, but they had had a difficult time convincing her mother that she would be in very capable hands if Fionna decided to join them in London. Once again, Willow was incredibly thankful for Bryanna's presence when she took Fionna aside and calmed some of the girl's fears about being one of the oldest to be Called. This allowed some time for Willow to sit down and speak with Mrs. Drummond, alleviating some of the woman's fears about her child's safety.

"I can't promise that she won't be in danger some of the time," Willow had said, "but Buffy has been doing this for a very long time and she takes the girls' training very seriously. And speaking from many years experience of working with many Slayers, Fionna will be more than capable of taking care of herself once she learns how to control her powers. Honestly, you're putting her in more danger by not allowing her to go." It had been this last statement that had almost convinced Mrs. Drummond to let Fionna go with them right then and there. Willow told her to think about it and they would be back in a few hours to take Fionna with them to the graveyard. The sooner Fionna and Emery met and started bonding, the better.

"You ready to take some newbies' out?" Willow grinned at Bryanna, who smiled back and shook her head.

"Not anymore ready than I was when you took me my first time," she replied in her Irish brogue. When Bryanna had been Called five years ago, Willow had been the one who had told her of her destiny. Bryanna had returned to London with Willow and immediately began her training. Rather than returning to Ireland when her training was complete, she had opted to stay at Council headquarters and help transition the new girls into the program.

Willow nodded, remembering the incident well. Bryanna had, in a word or two, wigged out when she came in contact with her first vampire. She had come a long way since then, accompanying Willow on these missions.

"Where are we picking them up?" Bryanna asked, brushing a strand of long red hair out of her face. No matter how hard she tried to keep it back in a ponytail, there was always that one piece that simply refused to stay in place.

"There's a marketplace just down the road from where they both live," Willow said. "I figured it was a pretty central place since it's on the way to the cemetery."

Bryanna nodded, focusing on a distant location down the lane that looked like it could be their destination. "Is that it up there?" She asked, pointing.

Willow turned to look in the direction Bryanna was pointing and also looked in the distance. "I think so, yeah. I didn't think it would be this far of a walk."

"Couldn't you have just teleported us or something?" Bryanna asked her eyes twinkling as she looked down at her companion.

Willow just shook her head. "You totally don't get the witch thing do you? I can't use my powers like that. Not anymore." And she hadn't. Not since…well…not since Tara. She couldn't afford to go down that path again.

"Sorry," Bryanna said quietly. "I didn't mean that. Walking is good." The Slayer didn't know the full story of what had happened so many years ago with Willow, but she knew the magic could be a touchy subject for the Wicca.

"It's okay," Willow replied gently, looking up at the Irish Slayer walking next to her. If Willow hadn't known that Bryanna was seeing some mystery guy in London, well…_no, Willow, you can't go there. No office relationships. Look what happened to Buffy and Angel. Buffy and Riley. Buffy and Spike. You and Kennedy._ That was another sore subject for Willow; the subject of Kennedy. Once the Sunnydale crew had made their way cross country and set up shop in Cleveland, things with Kennedy had gone south. It basically came down to the fact that Kennedy felt that Willow was holding her back and Willow was tired of Kennedy's feelings that the world owed her something because she was a Slayer. _"So are hundreds of other girls all over the world, Kennedy!" _Willow had argued with her before they had left for London. Kennedy had opted to stay behind and Willow had never really found anyone to give her heart to. Not after being so unlucky in love so many times.

"Penny for your thoughts," Bryanna said, breaking into Willow's reverie.

"I have a lot more thoughts than just a penny would pay for," Willow said. "Besides, we're here."

Bryanna turned and sure enough, a large, outdoor marketplace stood in front of them. "Do you have any idea where they are?"

Willow shook her head. "No, hold on. I can do a quick scan of the area. Their essences should be pretty easy to locate."

Bryanna watched in slight awe as Willow closed her eyes, holding her hands out before her, the magic crackling at her fingertips like tiny fireworks. "Find them yet?" No answer. Willow's hair was slowly darkening and Bryanna placed a hand on the Wicca's shoulder. "Willow? You okay?"

Willow's eyes snapped open and Bryanna was shocked to see that they had become completely black. "I'm fine," she bit off. "Why don't you mind your own business?"

Bryanna stepped back, looking as though Willow had just slapped her across the face. "S-sorry," she stammered, not used to seeing Willow react to her power like this.

Willow shook her head, seeming to come back to herself, her hair and eyes returning to their normal shades. "Oh, Bree, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—the magic hasn't done that to me in ages," she tried to explain. "I don't know what happened."

Bryanna smiled kindly and shrugged. "Water under the bridge," she replied. "Let's go get Fionna and Emery. We can worry about why your magic went all crazy when we get back to headquarters."

Willow nodded, feeling that this was the best course of action as well. She gestured at a nearby fruit stand, indicating for Bryanna to follow. It took quite a bit longer to get there than she had originally thought, due to the large crowd that was so intent on getting in their way, but they made it at last.

Bryanna spotted the two new Slayers first and raised a hand in greeting. "Ready?" She asked the girls kindly. They both nodded uncertainly, both looking as though they might be sick. "It's okay, really," Bryanna tried to reassure them. "Remember, Willow and I will take care of the actual slaying if you guys get into any trouble. You haven't committed to anything yet." Fionna nodded again, not really feeling any better. As for Emery, she simply smiled weakly and tried to put on a brave face.

"Shall we, then?" Willow asked brightly, hoping to alleviate the girls' fears as they drew nearer to the graveyard.

The four females set off in the direction of the cemetery, Willow trying to keep the mood light and somewhat cheery for the time being. She was almost certain that Emery had giggled nervously at one of her really bad jokes, but immediately sobered at the sight of the cemetery gates.

They had perfect timing, or so it seemed, for just as Willow opened the gates with a loud screeching that echoed into the night, the sun disappeared over the horizon. "Just in time," she said, ushering the girls in to the graveyard.

"Now what?" Fionna asked in a trembling voice.

Willow smiled grimly as she perched on top of a large headstone. "Now we wait."

_Capetown, South Africa_

Xander Harris positioned himself in a similar fashion on top of a large grave marker thousands of miles away. He too was trying to convince a young green Slayer to answer her Calling and return to London with him to begin training. Apparently great minds think alike, even miles away from each other, because at the same moment that Willow, Bryanna, Fionna, and Emery had entered a Scottish graveyard, Xander and his new charge, Amare Sende had done the same in Capetown, South Africa.

Amare's chocolate brown eyes darted around nervously, trying to take in as much as the night sky would allow her. Millions of stars twinkled overhead and the moon shone full and bright directly overhead. The sound of waves from the Atlantic Ocean could be heard in the distance, crashing noisily on the shore. "Mr. Harris," Amare began timidly.

Xander grinned at her from his position on top of the grave marker, his good eye twinkling in the moonlight. "Mr. Harris was my father," he said. "Actually, I don't know if anyone really called him that, but just call me Xander, okay?"

Amare nodded tentatively, unsure of what he had just said. Her English was good enough; her father had made sure of that, but she was not accustomed to this man's very Americanized way of speaking. "Xander," she said slowly, "what do I do if one comes? A vampire, I mean."

"Your first instinct is going to be to run like hell," Xander told her bluntly, "and that's okay. This is your first time out, no one expects you to bag a vampire right away. Do what your instincts tell you to do. And always make sure you know where your stake is."

Amare placed her hand on her left hip where she had stored the stake in a leather holster, both of which had been given to her by Xander before they had gotten to the graveyard. "So we wait?"

"We wait." Xander crossed his arms comfortably over his chest and watched as Amare paced around the graveyard. She was young, that was true, but Xander had already seen a small demonstration of her strength. Amare had what it took to survive in this very scary world in which he lived. There had been some that he had just known would not survive once left to their own devices. The girls who never connected with anyone, they were easy targets. The proud ones usually met a terrifying end. And the girls who were more interested in the power than the mission ended up like Kennedy, or Faith. Only one other girl had gone rogue in the past nineteen years, which was pretty good, considering the close calls they had had with a few of them, Xander mused. He was so deep in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed someone calling his name. _Xander. _It came so subtly, like a whisper on the wind, that he didn't hear it the first time. _XANDER!!_

_Aberdeen, Scotland_

Bryanna leaned up against a nearby mausoleum, casually tossing a deadly looking stake into the air. Emery and Fionna stood side by side with their arms linked, looking increasingly more and more nauseous at every passing moment. Their eyes flitted frantically through the graveyard for any signs of un-life. Bryanna looked casually at Willow, raising an eyebrow in the younger girls' direction. "I don't think we'll have to worry about them being alone," she murmured under her breath.

Willow nodded. This was a good sign. Not the fact that both girls looked as though they might be sick at any moment; in Willow's book, vomiting was a bad thing. No, Willow was very pleased to see that even within a half an hour, the two girls had already begun to form a close relationship.

Somewhere to the north of the graveyard, Willow heard the sound of leaves rustling. She sat up a bit straighter, straining her senses to determine if danger was nearby. Emery and Fionna noticed the slight shift in the older woman's posture and Emery gripped Fionna's arm even tighter. "It's okay, girls," Bryanna tried to soothe them, holding her stake down at her side.

"Is it a vampire?" Fionna asked, her voice trembling.

Willow shook her head. "Don't know," she replied. "Stay calm and stay quiet." The leaves rustled again, this time louder and with more urgency. Willow jumped off the headstone, landing gracefully on the soft ground beneath her. She turned to face the direction of the sound, barely aware of Bryanna stepping up beside her.

Within seconds, two vampires leapt out from the trees, their sharp yellow teeth glinting in the moonlight. Emery and Fionna screamed and ran to hide behind a nearby grave. Bryanna held her stake up just enough for the two creatures to see and recognize, all the while shouting at the two younger girls across the graveyard. "You do not hide!" She cried. "Run like mad, but don't hide! Use your instincts!"

Of course Bryanna's shouting turned the vampires' attention towards the two young Slayers and Bryanna could have smacked herself when she saw this. "Crap! You don't want them," she shouted, trying to regain their interest. "They're way too skinny! Don't you want a tasty morsel like me?"

"Tasty morsel?" Willow mouthed. Bryanna shrugged, keeping her eyes on the two vampires. One was male and had obviously been around for a while; based on the outdated clothes he was wearing. The other was female; she used to be a blonde bombshell from the looks of her, but she seemed a bit newer than her partner.

Bryanna's taunting had split their interest and now the vampires were looking back and forth between her and Fionna and Emery's hiding place. With a deafening roar, they wordlessly decided to split the difference, going in opposite directions. Emery and Fionna scrambled out from behind the headstone, frantically looking for a way out as the female rushed them. Bryanna held her ground, smiling grimly as the male charged at her.

Willow was working on putting up a protective shield around the two new Slayers when she heard someone saying her name. _Willow?_ She shook her head, turning her attention back to the spell. _ Willow?_ That voice sounded oddly familiar. She hadn't heard it echoing through her mind for years, but it was one she heard almost every other day in the physical world.

_Buffy? Is that you?_

_Oh, thank God! _Buffy's relieved voice echoed in her mind. _I wasn't sure if I could still do this or not._

Willow ducked as a vampire went sailing over her head, Bryanna running after it. _This is kind of a bad time, Buff. We're fighting evil here._

_Sorry. It's an emergency. I wouldn't have interrupted otherwise._

_It's okay,_ Willow answered. _What's going on?_

_It's Dawn. _Buffy's voice had grown quiet with fear for her sister. _She's missing._

_I thought we were done with this whole 'rescuing Dawnie' thing._

_Apparently not, _Buffy replied. _Listen, I don't think I'm going to be able to find her without your help. Xander too._

_I can't teleport all four of us back there, Buffy. Not without completely losing myself in the magic._

Willow could almost hear Buffy shaking her head emphatically. _I don't expect you to. I'm contacting Xander and then I'll explain to both of you._

"Willow, look out!" Bryanna yelled, just as the blonde hurtled towards her, teeth bared. Willow threw her hands up, erecting a small but effective barrier. The vampire bounced off of it and hit the earth with a loud grunt. Bryanna ran by Willow, leapt on the fallen vampire and straddled it around the waist, her stake poised directly above the heart. "From dust to dust," she quipped just before she plunged the stake downward. The vampire opened its mouth in silent protest and with a whoosh of sound, turned to dust and ash and disappeared. Bryanna dropped to the ground with a soft thud.

_Capetown, South Africa_

_XANDER!_

"Great Caesar's Ghost!" Xander exclaimed, so startled he fell backwards off the headstone he was perched on, landing painfully on his head. Amare jumped as well, turning in Xander's direction. "Sorry," he muttered, trying to sit up. "Go back to watching for demons."

_Xander? _

_Buffy?_

_Xander?_

_Buffy?_

_Is that you?_

_It better be or one of us is very confused._

Buffy made a very loud noise of annoyance which echoed through Xander's brain. _If I could smack you right now, I would._

_Good for me we're so far apart right now. What's up? You scared the crap out of me._

_Sorry about that. Listen, I'm getting Willow in on this too. Dawn is missing. I need you guys to come home and help me find her._

_Uh, Buff?_

_Yeah?_

_How exactly are we supposed to get home in time to be any help at all?_

_Hold on. _

Xander wasn't exactly positive what he was holding for, but he took the opportunity to survey the graveyard and make sure Amare was still okay. So far she looked all right; in fact she looked downright bored. Nothing had happened. Which Xander considered to be a good thing at this point.

_Xander? It's me. Willow too._

_Heya, Willster!_

_How many times have I told you not to call me that anymore?_ Willow thought at him, only slightly annoyed.

_Not as many times as Giles has told me not to call him 'G-man',_ Xander replied. _And I still call him that, so you're probably not going to get any better results._

Willow mentally stuck her tongue out at him. _Okay, Buffy, how are we all getting home at a moment's notice? Like I said, I can't teleport myself and three other people, and Xander can't teleport himself at all._

_My thoughts exactly,_ Xander agreed.

_I don't have a lot of time to explain, but there's someone here at the Council that can help with that. His name is Harry Potter and he's a wizard._

_A wizard? Like me?_

_No, Will. His magic is completely different from yours. But he can do something like teleporting and then he has a way for you guys to get back in an instant. I think he called it a Porky or something like that. _Buffy paused for a moment. _It's probably not a Porky._

Used to Buffy's penchant for mispronouncing unfamiliar names, both Xander and Willow let it slide. _So this Harry Potter guy is going to come get us? _Xander asked. _How are we supposed to know who he is?_

_Well, when he appears out of thin air, that should be a pretty good clue,_ Willow thought sarcastically. _I'll let the girls know they're going to need to make a more immediate decision._

_Thanks Will. See you soon. Xander? _

_Yeah. I'll do the same._

_Thanks, Xand. Safe travels, okay?_

_Seeing as I don't know how I'm traveling, I'll do my best. See you soon._

_See you soon._

"Amare!" He shouted to the young African girl. "Slight change in plans. Apparently Buffy needs our help, so some guy is going to pop down here and help us get back to London really quickly. Or something. I'm a little fuzzy on the details.

Amare half-walked, half-jogged over to Xander. "Pop down? Fuzzy? I have no idea what you are talking about."

Xander shook his head. "Neither do I. Anyway, I kind of need you to make a decision about coming back with me now. I know I'm not giving you a lot of time here, but I think this guy is going to be here any moment."

"What about my things? Not that I have a lot of possessions, but the ones I have are very important to me."

"I'm sure we can find a way to get them to London. What do you say? Did my speech a little earlier convince you at all?"

"It is my duty, yes?" Amare nodded slowly as she tried to think through what would be the most important decision of her life. "I must do this because it is important to learn how to use my powers and to protect my family and village. I will go with you."

_Aberdeen, Scotland_

"Okay, that was weird," Willow muttered, offering a hand to her fallen comrade.

"What's weird?" Bryanna stood up and started to brush the dirt and leaves off of her jeans.

Willow opened her mouth to answer then decided against it for the moment. Trying to explain that the original Scoobies communicated via telepathy during important meetings would be giving away a vital trade secret. "Where are Fionna and Emery?"

Bryanna frowned and looked towards the headstone where the two younger girls had taken refuge. "Hiding somewhere over there, I think."

Willow raised an eyebrow at the younger girl. "Not quite what they expected, huh?"

"They're young. And very green."

"Kind of like how you were when you first started out?" Willow grinned.

"Exactly," Bryanna nodded, "which is why we need to go get them and see if they are coming with us."

Willow nodded her agreement and the two women strode over to Fionna and Emery's hiding place. Willow smiled to herself as she caught sight of them. Emery was sitting with her back up to the headstone, knees to her chest, breathing heavily. Fionna, on the other hand, was kneeling in the dirt, peering cautiously around the headstone. "They're gone girls," Willow told them gently, chuckling as they both jumped.

"We w-weren't s-scared," Fionna managed to stutter, helping Emery to her feet.

"Uh-huh," Bryanna said disbelievingly. "So you hid because?"

"You looked like you were handling it," Emery smirked.

"I _was_," Bryanna replied, "but that wasn't the point of the exercise."

Able to spot trouble from a mile away, Willow quickly stepped in, hands raised in surrender. "Okay, ladies, that's enough. The point of the exercise is to help you two," she gestured to Emery and Fionna, "decide if you are going to join us in London. Which you need to decide pretty much now because some wizarding guy is going to teleport himself here somehow and take us back so I can help Buffy track Dawn down."

Used to Willow's occasional rambles, Bryanna just raised an eyebrow, while Fionna and Emery tried to make sense of what the older woman had just told them.

"We need to decide now?" Emery squeaked.

"Did you say teleport?" Fionna asked, looking to Willow then back to Emery. "Did she say teleport? Is that even possible?"

"Who's Dawn?"

Willow took a deep breath and began answering their questions. "Yes, now. We will send someone to get your belongings. I did say teleport, and it is possible, but I think this guy does it differently than I do. Dawn is Buffy's younger sister who is also a Watcher and our head of linguistics at the Council. And yes, I can teleport."

Fionna and Emery just gaped at her.

_South Africa_

POP Xander jumped again as a loud cracking sound like a car backfiring echoed through the night sky. Amare simply stood calmly as though she were used to tall, dark strangers popping out of mid-air.

The tall, dark stranger strode toward them, holding out his hand. "Xander Harris?"

Xander nodded warily; you never knew who might be a demon in disguise. "I'm hoping you're Harry Potter."

"If I'm not, you should have started running about two and half minutes ago."

"That's comforting," Xander replied, stepping protectively in front of Amare. "So if you're not a vampire, then it won't bother you if I do this-," and he pulled a cross out of his back pocket and flourished it in front of the man's face.

He flinched, but did not react the way a vampire would. "What exactly was that supposed to do?" He asked.

"Nothing, if you're not a vampire," Xander replied, re-pocketing the cross, "which apparently, you're not. I really have no way of telling if you're some other kind of demon and that puts me and Amare in the 'screwed' column."

"Normally, I would applaud your efforts to protect yourself and your charge here, but unfortunately I'm going to have to ask you to trust me. Now, hang on a second. Buffy told me there was a phrase you would recognize…"

Xander tapped crossed his arms and turned around to glance at Amare. "You okay?" He whispered.

Amare nodded, evidently amused by the entire exchange.

"Ah, yes," the dark-haired man spoke up again, "I remember. 'Cavalry's here. Cavalry's a frightened guy with a rock-,'"

"'But it's here'," Xander finished. "Okay, I'm convinced. How are we getting to London?"

"Portkey," the young man who was apparently Harry Potter answered. "I'm going to enchant an object which will transport you back to the Council's headquarters. Do you have anything ordinary? Something people would pass off as rubbish?"

Xander rifled through the pockets of his dark blue jeans and finally pulled out a crumpled up gum wrapper. "Will this work?"

Harry nodded and took the wrapper from Xander's outstretched hand. Pulling his wand out of his robes, he pointed it at the wrapper, muttered "_Portus,_" and placed his wand back in the sleeve of his robes. "Okay, the Portkey is set to activate in one minute from now. It is very important that you are both touching it; even just a finger will do, but you must both be touching it otherwise one of you will be left behind."

"Um, thanks, I guess," Xander said, still staring disbelievingly at the place where Harry had put his wand.

"You're welcome. I'll be seeing you back at the Council after I get Willow and the others," Harry handed Xander the gum wrapper and motioned for Amare to take her place and hold the wrapper as well. "Five—four—three—two—one!"

Xander barely heard the one as he suddenly felt as though something had grabbed him by the naval and sucked him into some kind of vortex of doom. He spun faster and faster, convinced his brains had to have dribbled out of his ears by this point when the spinning motion stopped unexpectedly and he landed in a heap on some very plush carpeting next to Amare.

A well-manicured, but strong hand reached down to help him, which Xander grasped gratefully. "Welcome home, Xand."


	3. It Must Be Tuesday

A/N: I thought I would try a crossover that keeps in line with where both series ended. This takes place about 16 years after Chosen and approximately 19 or 20 after Deathly Hallows. The main characters from both verses are around the same age and anyone who died in either series should remain so.

Summary: After defeating the First in Sunnydale, Buffy Summers and the remaining players from the Sunnydale gang made it their mission to locate all of the new Slayers that were popping up all over the globe. They re-structured the Watcher's Council from the inside out and have been working for the last 16 years to train the new Slayers, equipping them to go back home with a Watcher and protect their homes and surrounding areas without worrying about the entire world. After Harry succeeded in killing Voldemort, he entered Auror training and quickly rose through the ranks to become Head of the Auror Department. Things have been relatively quiet in the Wizarding World; however, he and his compatriots occasionally run into a few Death Eaters who are bent on the total destruction of Muggles. A new threat is beginning to rise, putting both Buffy and Harry and their loved ones in danger. This is nothing new for either of them, but when the two worlds collide, will it be enough to stop the return of an old foe?

Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to or ownership of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Harry Potter and subsequent stories or characters. No copyright infringement is intended on either works of creative genius. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the property of creator Joss Whedon and Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.

"_So Dawn's in trouble. Must be Tuesday." Buffy, Once More with Feeling_

After a less-than-welcoming glare, Dawn began to smooth her skirt against her legs, trying to explain herself to the strange man standing before her. The problem was she really had no idea what had just happened. One minute, she had been standing in front of Viktor Krum and the next she was somewhere other than where she had intended to be.

"I'm Dawn, by the way," she said, holding her hand out, which he took reluctantly. "And you are?"

"Draco," the blonde muttered grudgingly.

"Draco what? Or is it just the first name, like Madonna?"

Draco stared at her like he had never seen anything quite like her before. "Draco Malfoy. And I think I shall ask the questions here. This is my home you are trespassing in after all."

Dawn huffed and placed a hand on her right hip, which was cocked in annoyance. "It's not like I wanted to come here, you know. Wherever _here_ is. I was just told to hold some necklace and it was supposed to transport me somewhere. Somewhere that wasn't here."

This apparently piqued Draco's interest, because his pale eyebrow rose and he regarded Dawn in a different manner. "And where exactly were you supposed to end up?" He asked, now remembering the good decorum his mother had instilled in him and gesturing for Dawn to sit down on an overstuffed jade sofa.

Dawn complied gratefully and sat forward on the sofa, her legs crossed elegantly at her ankles. She took a moment to look around the room, which appeared to be some sort of a study or library. There was a large oak desk in the right corner of the room, covered in books and old parchment. A bookshelf filled to the brim with ancient tomes stretched to the vaulted ceiling and all along the western wall. The walls were painted a forest green, and there were several portraits on the wall, the largest of which of a man who looked strikingly like Draco Malfoy, but obviously much older and even more disdained. If that was even possible.

Dawn considered Draco's question, and although she hadn't been around for as long as her age indicated, the monks who had made her, did not make her without a brain and she tried to choose her words carefully in answering. "Isn't the fact that this is not the intended location enough of an answer?"

Draco had taken his place in a plush white armchair to the left of the sofa, lounging back with his hands comfortably behind his head. "I merely inquired so that I might help you get to where you would like to go. I did not mean to offend."

"No offense taken," Dawn replied, shaking her head. "_Where_ I am going isn't necessarily as important as _what_ I am going there for. And please don't ask, because I can't tell you."

Draco nodded compliantly. "Please, allow me to apologize for my behavior a moment ago. Malfoy Manor is heavily guarded with several security wards and it would take a very powerful witch or wizard to get through them. Unfortunately, there are many people in the wizarding world who would rather I, for lack of a better term, _disappeared_, and so I have to be very careful."

"And why would these people want you to disappear?" Dawn asked.

"We hold different views," Draco answered simply. "What about you? What are your views of allowing half bloods and Muggles who have never heard of our world to attend the magic schools and become a part of the wizarding world?"

Dawn wasn't entirely sure how to answer this question; Draco was rather difficult to read, but she had a feeling that if she answered incorrectly, it would not come out in her favor. Fortunately, Draco saved her from having to answer at that moment.

"It's always been my opinion," he said, "that Muggles should stay Muggles and mind their own business. Let the pureblood wizards do the magic."

"I suppose," Dawn answered slowly. "I guess I've never really thought about it before." That and she'd never heard the term _Muggle_ before, but by Draco's look of contempt, it couldn't have been a good thing.

Draco looked at her incredulously. A witch who had never thought about the consequences of allowing filthy half-breeds into their world? Who was this woman? He was about to throw her out when he saw the slight imperceptible shake of his father's head in the portrait above Dawn. There was something more than meets the eye, with her that was for certain. Quickly changing his tactic, he regarded Dawn with some marked interest. "I was just about to sit down to dinner. Would you care to join me?"

Not foreseeing leaving here anytime soon, Dawn nodded her agreement. "That sounds lovely."

Draco clapped his hands loudly and Dawn gasped as a loud crack echoed through the room. That didn't surprise her as much, however, as the thing that arrived with the sound. A creature, no higher than her knees, with floppy, oversize ears, gigantic, bright blue eyes, wearing what looked like a ratty old pillowcase had appeared directly in front of her and Draco.

"Master called Lulu?" The creature asked, bowing low and sneaking a glance at Dawn at the same time.

Draco nodded. "We have a guest for dinner tonight. Prepare an extra plate."

Dawn looked at her new acquaintance, shocked at the tone of disgust that had entered Draco's voice when talking to this creature. Rather than looking offended, however, Lulu merely nodded, her large ears bobbing up and down wildly. "Lulu does as Master wishes," she squeaked before disappearing again.

Catching the look of amazement on Dawn's face, Draco looked at her, again confused. "You have a house elf, don't you?"

_So that's what that was?_ "O-of course," Dawn stuttered. "Who doesn't? I've just never seen one so totally well-behaved before." _Nice save, Dawn. _

"Lulu has been well-trained. She is much better than the last house elf we had, Dobby."

"What was wrong with Dobby?" Dawn asked curiously.

Draco sniffed disdainfully. "He wanted to be _freed_."

Dawn wasn't entirely sure what was wrong with wanting freedom, but she had quickly learned that Draco was very set in his ideas and didn't feel that she had a right to contest them at this point. So rather than argue with him, she merely nodded noncommittally and changed the subject. "When do you expect dinner to be ready?"

"Soon, I imagine," the blonde replied. "We can head in the direction of the dining room if you wish."

Dawn nodded her agreement and Draco rose from the armchair, offering her a hand, which she accepted gratefully. Draco gently pulled her to her feet and Dawn once again smoothed her skirt against her legs. When she had finished, Draco walked briskly to the door and held it open, waiting expectantly for Dawn to walk through it. "To the left and continue down the hall," he said as she peered out the door. He quickly shut the door with a resounding click and hurried to catch up with her, his emerald green cloak flowing behind him.

Upon walking into the hallway, Dawn was suddenly overcome by the urge to make the smallest amount of noise possible. The floor was pure marble and the sound of her high heels upon it reverberated up and down the hallway. The wall was a slate gray, giving the impression that the hallway was growing narrower as she looked further down it. Several large wooden doors had been shut tight, forbidding her access although her curiosity was beginning to get the better of her.

They finally reached the dining room and if Dawn had been impressed by the study and the hallway, those were nothing compared to this. A dining table, fit for the likes of kings and queens sat at the center of the room, surrounded by several high backed wooden chairs. Green velvet poufs adorned the seats of the chairs, tall green taper candles were lit beautifully at the center of the table, and the dinnerware looked as if it were made of pure silver. The smells coming from the kitchen were nothing to scoff at either. Dawn breathed deeply, enjoying the aroma of fresh bread and a wonderful combination of sweets and spices.

Draco escorted her to a seat all the way at the other end of the table and pulled her chair out for her, acting every bit the part of the gentleman he was. He took the seat at the head of the table and clapped his hands once again. Little Lulu came rushing out, bowing all along the way. "Master has such impeccable timing," she squeaked. "Lulu will bring Master and the Mistress the first course."

Dawn was about to tell Lulu she didn't need to call her 'mistress', but the little house elf had already rushed back into the kitchen. Before Dawn could ask Draco what smelled so heavenly, Lulu re-entered the dining room, precariously balancing a large silver serving tray and rushed to the table. Dawn breathed in deeply again, now enjoying the smell and the sight of a dinner she could have scarcely imagined. Her mouth watered as she savored bite after bite of fresh bread, pumpkin pasties, the plumpest grapes she had ever tasted, a wonderfully delicious steak, and several other items that Dawn had never seen before in her short life.

They ate their meal in awkward silence at first, something that suited Dawn just fine as she had found herself to be completely ravenous upon her first whiff of the food. Draco kept stealing glances at her and Dawn frowned down at her plate, wondering if she was doing something wrong. "Do I have something in my teeth?" She finally asked.

Draco jolted and blinked a few times, apparently coming out of a daze. "N-no."

Dawn nodded. "Mm-kay. Because you've spent more time staring at me than you have eaten your dinner."

"My apologies," Draco replied courteously. "I didn't mean to stare; I've just never met a witch like you before."

Dawn frowned, not sure what to make of this observation. She knew Draco had to be a wizard like Viktor, but there was something very suspicious about him. He was certainly polite, and rich to boot, but Dawn had a good sense of a person's true character, and this man was setting alarm bells off in her head. She didn't want to appear suspicious of him just yet and so turned back to her meal and kept up friendly conversation.

When they had finished, Draco informed Dawn he had a few things to do, but she was more than welcome to explore the manor, so long as she kept to rooms with open doors. Draco's chair scraped loudly against the wood floor and Dawn was left sitting alone at the oversized table to decide where she wanted to explore. Finally deciding to return to the study, she too pushed her chair out from the table and headed to the door. Before she left, however, she was overcome by a sudden urge to run into the kitchen and thank Lulu for the wonderful meal. Just as she was about to do so, Lulu burst into the dining room and began cleaning up after them, using her own special brand of magic. Dawn cleared her throat and the poor little elf jumped away from the table in a flash, her eyes wide and fearful.

"Mistress!" She cried. "Lulu did not see mistress standing by the door. Lulu begs mistress's forgiveness for being a bad, dozy elf!" To Dawn's shock and horror, Lulu seized a nearby candleholder and began beating herself over the head. "Bad Lulu! Bad!"

Dawn rushed forward and grabbed the candleholder directly above Lulu's head, trying to yank it out of her hands, resulting in Lulu dangling in midair, holding onto the offending instrument. "Lulu, stop!" Dawn bellowed.

Lulu froze in midair and stared at Dawn, wide-eyed. "Lulu is sorry, mistress," she said meekly.

"That's better," Dawn said satisfactorily and set Lulu gently down on the floor. "Why on earth did you do that, Lulu?"

"Lulu is bound to serve the Malfoy family and their guests. She is never to ignore anyone that Master Malfoy brings into his home. Lulu should have been more vigilant. She disobeyed an order and deserves punishment."

"You were cleaning, though," Dawn protested. "Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for that wonderful dinner. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever eaten."

Tears welled in Lulu's enormous blue eyes and she began to sob loudly. "Mistress is _thanking_ Lulu! But Lulu has never been thanked for a meal before! Mistress is so, so kind and generous!"

Dawn stepped back, stunned at this reaction. "Draco never thanks you?" She asked incredulously over the elf's sobs.

Lulu sniffed loudly and used her abnormally large ears to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Master Malfoy is Lulu's better; he does not show gratitude to Lulu."

"That's terrible! How can he treat you like that? You're a servant, not a slave!"

"Mistress is mistaken. Lulu _is_ a slave, bound to the Malfoy family until she is freed or dies."

Dawn shook her head, closing her eyes in slight disbelief. "This is one wacky world you all live in," she muttered. "Lulu," she said, "thank you for dinner this evening. I think I'm going to return to the study and do some reading." Lulu nodded and retreated backwards into the kitchen, her head bowed deeply.

Dawn exited the dining room and looked both directions down the hallway, trying to remember which direction she had come from. Finally deciding on going left, she started down the corridor, hoping she was headed in the right direction. It turned out that she should have gone right for as she continued in the wrong direction, she encountered several closed doors she had not seen before as well as a lot more twists and turns along the way. Choosing to turn around and back track, Dawn sighed and wondered if she would ever make it through this labyrinth of a home.

Oddly enough, she did not encounter Draco or the little house elf as she kept on walking through the winding passageways. There was certainly something off about this man, Dawn mused. His convictions about only allowing pureblood witches or wizards to do magic seemed very old-fashioned, or even racist. If wizards could be considered a separate race, that is. Draco seemed to be against everything Dawn had ever taken a stand for, yet there was something there behind his eyes. He was so rooted in tradition and his so-called beliefs that he couldn't admit that they were not his own beliefs. Dawn could see that even after a few hours with him. She just needed to find a way to convince him to start forming his own ideas.

As she began to formulate a plan to get Draco to start thinking for himself, she passed several portraits hung every few feet on the corridor wall, each one of a very severe-looking man with very severe, angular features, white-blonde hair and ice blue eyes. To Dawn's utter surprise, the men in these portraits were _moving_. She thought it was a trick of the light at first, but then when one of them actually rose out of his chair and walked into another portrait, Dawn blinked and shook her head in disbelief.

"Filthy mudblood," one of them muttered disparagingly, "walking through the halls of our fathers. Slytherin himself would be turning in his grave if he knew."

Not liking this new term, but certain Draco's beliefs came from his family background; Dawn glared at the offending portrait and hurried along towards the study. She had to be getting closer. Malfoy Manor was truly like nothing she had ever seen before. Not only did portraits move and talk, but everything seemed to be cast in shadow, even the lightest of places. It was a house that had been well-kept over the years, though, for there was not even a speck of dust in the tightest corner. The floors along this particular corridor seemed to be made of marble of some sort and the walls were a deep emerald, and changed abruptly to the same gray she had seen upon coming to dinner. Beneath each of the portraits stood a pedestal that held a bust of what Dawn could only assume were Draco's ancestors. She did not linger to read the inscriptions beneath them though, because she really intended to return to the study and explore some of Draco's books.

At last she found herself in front of the entrance to the very room she had been searching for. Glancing over her shoulder to see if anyone was around, Dawn opened the door with a small click and hurried inside. She wasn't sure why she felt such a sudden sense of foreboding, but she had long since learned to listen to her instincts. The study was just as they had left it and the man in the portrait she had noticed earlier was snoozing peacefully. Dawn began to look through the shelves of books, perusing each title until she found one that caught her eye. She removed it from the shelf, blew dust off of its cover and settling into the armchair Draco had sat in earlier, began to read.

_Watcher's Council Headquarters_

Buffy Summers smiled tiredly up at Xander. She then offered a hand to the young African girl on the floor and smiled at her as well. "You must be Amare. I would love to fill you in on all the comings and goings around here, but unfortunately I don't have the time right now. I promise I will sit down and talk with you as soon as we figure out this mess with my sister, okay?"

Amare nodded absent-mindedly, taking in her surroundings. She had never been in a place this nice before. "Thank you, miss," she replied, her eyes landing on Buffy. "I hope I can be of service to you."

Buffy nodded, reminded forcibly of Kendra, another Slayer from long ago. "If you step outside those doors, there is a man waiting to take you upstairs where the other girls sleep. You can borrow pajamas and other things from them until we are able to get your belongings here." Amare began walking to the door, but turned when Buffy called after her, "Oh, and don't let Andrew scare you into changing your mind about coming here. He's always like that."

Amare threw her a puzzled glance, but nodded briskly and strode out the door. Buffy grinned as she heard Andrew greet her, "Ah, you must be Amare! Welcome to the Headquarters of the Watcher's Council, home of the Slayers of Vampyres!"

Xander shook his head, taking a seat on the couch in front of the fireplace. "Remind me again, why do keep him around?"

"Because as much as I hate to admit it," Buffy replied as she joined him, "he is an asset to the team. And I will take as much help as I can get."

Before they could explore the matter any further, they heard a loud pop behind them and Willow, Bryanna, and Harry appeared there along with two girls Buffy could only assume were Emery and Fionna. Buffy rose from her place on the couch and went to welcome the two newcomers. "You two must be some of our newest recruits," she said, smiling warmly. "The other girls have already arrived and have gone up to settle in. Andrew should be down in a moment to show you to your rooms."

Both Emery and Fionna looked around, wide-eyed, trying to take everything in all at once. Finally, Emery turned back and said, in a very astonished voice, "We get our own rooms?"

Everyone laughed at this and Buffy shook her head. "Unfortunately we're running out of space to be able to do that. But we do have you all grouped by age and no more than four to a room."

Emery looked slightly crestfallen at this news, but really, it was no different than home when she really thought about it. Having three older siblings in a small house meant she had had to share a room all of her thirteen years. She nodded and waited for their next instruction, which Buffy gave them in the next breath.

"Right outside the door there; Andrew is waiting for you," Buffy told the girls kindly. "As I told Amare, I will sit down a talk with you about everything as soon as I have the chance. But I must first help my sister. Welcome to Headquarters."

Emery and Fionna both nodded their thanks and proceeded into the hallway, followed by Bryanna, who only nodded in Buffy's direction. Buffy mouthed her thanks and turned back to her remaining company. "Thanks for getting everyone, Harry," she said gratefully.

"Strength in numbers," he replied. "It was the fastest and easiest way to help your sister."

"Except we don't know where she is," Xander remarked from his place on the couch.

Buffy took her place next to him and Harry sat in the armchair to the left of them, hanging his feet over one of the arms, while Willow sat cross-legged on the coffee table in front of them. As strategic planning meetings went, this wasn't the most professional looking one, Buffy thought, but when had they ever followed protocol?

"Is there a way to find that out?" Buffy asked. "She took one of those Porky things. Can't you trace it, Harry?"

Willow nodded her agreement. "Sure, like a computer. You can usually trace an email and find out where it's come from, so why not with the _Portkey_?" She asked, glancing at Buffy who blushed when she realized she had once again blundered over another name.

Harry shook his head. "Portkeys don't work like that. Even if I had the thing she used, which I don't, there's no way to tell where it took her. We're going to have to find another way."

"If only there was a way I could just talk to her," Buffy murmured. "Just some way to get in contact…hang on."

Willow frowned, looking at her friend. "What is it, Buff?"

"I'm really stupid."

All three of them were staring at her now, not quite certain what she was talking about.

"Well, let's not all rush to disagree at once," Buffy said, smirking. "I just realized there is a way to talk to Dawn. The same way I spoke with you and Xander, Will, just a little while ago. But I think you should do it. You're more experienced than I am."

Willow shook her head emphatically. "I don't think so. I don't think it's a very good idea right now."

"Any reason why?" Buffy pressed, frowning.

Willow frowned as well and let out a deep sigh. "Something happened earlier, with my magic. I felt it start to take over with a really simple spell."

"But that hasn't happened in ages!" Xander protested. "You've been all white-magic Willow ever since…ever since…"

"I know," Willow replied in a small voice. "But there's something affecting my magic, I think. I could feel it earlier. Not to sound like our old friend, Sam Zabuto here, but I think 'a dark power is about to rise' in England," she said, taking on a bad Caribbean accent.

Buffy nodded her confirmation. "That's why Harry is here," she told them. "He needs our help to fight this new power. And we will go over the details of that later," she continued, seeing the looks on both Willow's and Xander's faces. "Okay, so no magic for Willow until we figure out how to keep you grounded and out of the scary place. And I guess that leaves me to try to contact Dawn."

"It'll be easier for you, anyway," Willow said, relieved that she wouldn't have to employ any of her magic skills that night, "she's closer to you than she is to me."

Buffy and Xander both nodded, understanding Willow's meaning. Harry, on the other hand, not having any idea of Dawn's origin thought Willow was just referring to the fact that Buffy and Dawn were sisters and didn't say a thing.

"Okay, here goes," Buffy said, taking a deep breath. _Dawn? Dawnie?_ She paused, waiting a moment before trying again. _Dawnie? It's me, Buffy._

Finally, Buffy heard a voice other than her own inside her own brain. _Buffy? Is it really you?_

_In the flesh._ She paused again. _Or, I guess, not really. In the cerebral, then. Dawnie, how are you? Where are you?_

_I'm fine. I'm in some place called Malfoy Manor._

_Any idea where it's located?_

_Not even the foggiest. I kind of just popped into some sort of library and met the owner of the house. _

_Is he on our side?_

_It's hard to tell. He's certainly cordial enough, but that's probably because he's some kind of an aristocrat. I can't quite figure him out; he has all of these really old-fashioned ideas, and Buffy, he even has slaves!_

_Slaves?_ Buffy thought back at her incredulously. _That's pretty barbaric._

_He's nice enough to me and pretty civilized but he has a lot of weird ideas about who should be allowed to learn magic and stuff. I've been playing along so far because I'm afraid of what he might do when he finds out I'm not what he thinks I am._

_Good plan, Dawn. Is he there right now?_

Buffy could almost see Dawn shaking her head, blonde hair swinging across her back and shoulders. _No. He went to do something after dinner and let me explore. I came back to the study to do some reading. He has a ton of books._

_Anything interesting? Dawnie? _Dawn grew suddenly silent and Buffy felt as if she had just walked straight into a brick wall. "She's blocking me out for some reason," she huffed in frustration. "I don't know what happened."

"Keep trying," Willow encouraged. "Did she at least say where she is?"

Buffy nodded, all the while trying to get to Dawn again. "Yeah. Some place called _Malfoy Manor_, I think."

Harry did a double-take and stared at Buffy, mouth hanging open. "You're joking."

"I don't think so," Buffy replied, her attention now on Harry. "Why?"

"Remember the guy we were talking about earlier? The new threat?"

Buffy stared back at Harry unblinkingly, trying to recall earlier conversations of the day. Finally, she gasped and clapped her hand to her mouth. "This isn't the same guy, is it?"

"One and the same. We need to get your sister out of there as soon as possible."

Buffy returned to trying to contact Dawn, doubling her effort. _Dawnie? DAWNIE? Come on, honey! Answer me!_

_Buffy?_

Buffy sighed in relief as her sister's voice echoed once more through her mind. _Yeah, Dawn, it's me. What happened?_

_Sorry. Draco just walked in. _Clearly Dawn was not aware of just how much danger she was in staying at this house.

_What?_ Buffy's alarmed voice echoed in her sister's head. _No. Dawnie, we're coming to get you. It's not safe._ _Dawn. Stay where you are. Do not answer any questions he might ask. We are coming to get you._ Buffy looked in turn at Harry, then Willow, and finally Xander with a severe look on her face.

"Harry, how do we get to Malfoy Manor?"

_Malfoy Manor_

_Buffy? Buffy?_ Dawn reached out as far as her mind would allow her to, but Buffy had apparently shut her out. Trying not to let her expression betray her panic, Dawn smiled serenely up at Draco who had shut the door behind him with a click. "Hi," she said, placing a bookmark in between the pages of the book she had been reading which she then closed gently and placed on the desk.

"Miss Summers," Draco replied politely, taking a seat on the couch across from her. "Did you find something to occupy your time?"

Dawn nodded, indicating his bookshelves. "You have an amazing collection. There are books written in languages I have never seen before and I thought I had studied every dead language in existence."

Draco raised an interested eyebrow at her. "You study languages? How fascinating."

"I suppose," Dawn said, shrugging. "I find learning new, or well, old, languages is both exciting and challenging."

"So this is something you do in your spare time, then?"

Dawn nodded noncommittally. "More or less. I have been hired as a freelance translator before, but it is mostly a hobby." That was a complete lie, and Dawn could only pray that her face did not betray her deceptive words. By the expression on Draco's face, he seemed to believe her. Not wanting to get caught in her lie, however, she turned the topic towards her strange but somewhat gracious host. "What about you, Draco? What do you do?"

"What do I _do_?" Draco replied, looking a bit affronted. "I don't _do_ anything."

"This all had to come from someplace," Dawn said, gesturing around the room. "Where did your money come from?"

"Forgive me," Draco said, gracing her with a small smile that did not quite reach his eyes. "What I meant to say is that I do not do anything for the things I own. Being wealthy is a bit like my job."

"Must be nice," Dawn muttered as she looked at the carpet, thinking of how hard she and Buffy had worked just to afford some of the nicer things they owned. Running the new Watcher's Council had not been the most prosperous of business ventures, but then, they weren't in it for the money. Everything the Council had had been donated to them by some very kind beneficiaries, as well as some very dead demons.

"Pardon?"

Having no desire for Draco to find out her entire life story, Dawn concocted a fabricated story which she mixed with some partial truths. She told him that she grew up on a Hellmouth, and regaled him with many stories of her adventures, but never let it slip that Buffy was the Slayer. She just made it seem like she had had many, many close shaves during her time in Sunnydale. Draco seemed most interested in the collapse of Sunnydale and asked Dawn several questions about her role in the First's downfall. This of course led to much hemming and hawing on Dawn's part and she finally told him that her sister had sent her away with a friend before things had gotten really bad.

Draco, being quite skilled at Legilimency, was not fooled for one minute by Dawn's tales. It also helped that she was the most terrible liar he had ever met in his life, making reading her that much easier. There were some chinks there that he couldn't get through though, and it was this that kept him asking questions. Something about this woman who had somehow been portkeyed into his home was causing his magic to go haywire and he was itching to discover exactly what it was. She wasn't a witch; that he knew with certainty within the first twenty minutes of talking with her, but she wasn't exactly a Muggle either and it was this that kept him from blasting her out the nearest window. That and his father's portrait had told him to keep an eye on the new arrival when he had left her after dinner. He was about to get her talking about her life after the Hellmouth had closed when some movement in his Foe Glass that Crabbe had given him several years ago caught his eye.

The figures were far too blurry to make out, but Draco frowned at it any way. The thing was not the most reliable magical instrument he owned, but it had saved him several times from Saint Potter's bloody stupid _unannounced_ raids. Come to think of it, Potter and his worshippers hadn't been by for awhile. Perhaps he was in for another visit.

"Anything wrong," Dawn asked, noticing the sour look that had settled over Draco's handsome features.

Draco shook his head, still looking at the Foe Glass. "We might have some company," he told her distractedly.

"Oh? Is that good or bad?" _Crap. It's probably Buffy and the gang coming to _rescue_ me._

"It all depends on what they want," Draco replied. "If it's one of my enemies, then it would be bad."

"Do you have many enemies?" Dawn frowned at him.

Draco turned his attention away from the Foe Glass to look at Dawn full in the face, an evil glint lighting in his eyes. "Miss Summers, you would be amazed."

_Watcher's Council Headquarters_

Harry frowned, wondering why Buffy was in such a panic. Sure, Malfoy was a major git and a pain in the arse to boot, but he barely rivaled Harry in power. This was not as big as the blonde Slayer was making it out to be. But, since he knew he couldn't take Buffy in a fight, he had no desire whatsoever to argue with the woman. "Malfoy's got a lot of anti-intruder jinxes around the manor. I can get past them, but that's usually with the help of several qualified wizards."

"Is there a way around them?" Willow asked her brow furrowed with worry.

Harry frowned as well, the lines in his forehead distorting the old lightning bolt scar. At last, he looked at them, the light of a newly formed idea shining in his bottle green eyes. "Malfoy has never set much store by Muggle ideas and things. His wards are to prevent wizards from entering, not regular people like you lot. We can Apparate just outside of the wards and then we should be able to just walk right in."

"Apparate?" Xander echoed dumbly.

"Is it really that easy?" Willow asked at the same time.

"Apparition is what I did when I came to get you guys earlier," Harry explained. "And no, it's not _that_ easy. It'll be easy enough to get in, but once Malfoy discovers we're there, he'll start attacking. But I can fight him off while the rest of you go find Dawn."

This seemed like a fairly simple plan to Buffy. In fact, it felt a little too simple and she frowned as she considered all the ways this could go wrong. It wasn't that she didn't trust Harry, well, maybe she didn't, but that was only because she had known the guy for a few hours. It was more that he had come up with a plan in a matter of seconds and Buffy had learned her lesson long ago about rushing into a situation without weighing her options.

Seeing Buffy's discomfort, Harry placed a gentle hand on her arm. "It's really the only way," he tried to explain. "We can't get in by any magical means of transportation; even flying in on a broom will set something off, and it's going to have to be me fighting Malfoy. Willow can't risk doing magic right now, right?"

Buffy nodded her agreement. It would be much too risky to allow Willow to do any magic if she had reacted negatively to a simple spell earlier. No, Harry was right and Buffy finally made her decision. "I suppose you're right," she sighed. "I just hate going with the first option. I've been there and done that and I usually end up with some pretty miserable results."

"I understand," Harry replied with sympathy, "I've lost a lot of good friends to hastily made decisions."

"So we go with Mr. Wizard's plan then," Xander piped up. "Sounds great and all but how do we do this apparition thing anyway?"

"We'll basically all have to hold on to each other since I'm the only one who can do it," Harry explained. "We can leave at anytime and probably the sooner the better, right?"

Buffy, Willow and Xander nodded, but Willow frowned having just realized something. "Uh, guys? Who's gonna tell Giles? Shouldn't he know that we're all going to be gone so he knows he's gotta hold down the fort? So to speak."

"I'll go," Xander said, leaping off the couch and striding quickly to the door. "Be back in a flash."

Harry and the girls watched as he left and turned to stare at the dying embers of the fire. Buffy sighed heavily, wondering if there would ever be a time when she wasn't worrying about her sister. Feeling Buffy's distress, Willow put an arm over her shoulder and gave her a comforting squeeze. Buffy turned her head enough to give her best friend a grateful smile, then turned back to the fire.

Harry was looking at the fire as well, but he was thinking about another time and place, when he had been staring into a different fireplace and Sirius' head had suddenly appeared there. He hadn't thought about his godfather in ages, and even though he had mourned the man's death many years ago, his memory still brought a lump to Harry's throat. Before he could dwell too long on Sirius' memory though, Xander burst back through the door.

Buffy, Willow and Harry jumped off the couch, startled by Xander's sudden entrance. "That was quick," Buffy remarked.

Xander shrugged. "I'm speedy," he said simply. "Giles says he's got it all under control, and Willow?"

"Yeah?"

"I told him about your little issue earlier and he wants to talk with you when we get back from our rescue mission."

Willow opened her mouth as if to argue with him, but promptly snapped it shut, realizing that he was just trying to help her keep her magic under control. She had planned on talking to Giles about it anyway, but at least this way he was somewhat prepared for the conversation. She could only hope that she would be able to keep the magic under control until they could figure out what was going on.

"So, to Malfoy Manor then?" Harry said, offering an arm to Willow, who took it promptly, having already done the side-along apparition with Harry once already, then to Buffy, who stared at it for a moment before accepting the other one just as Willow had. They left a spot between them for Xander, who joined them and linked arms. "Just close your eyes and concentrate on the location," Harry coaxed. "I'll get us there, but I think it will help if we're all focused on our destination."

Buffy, Xander and Willow all closed their eyes and frowned in concentration, each one apparently thinking about where they were supposed to end up. Harry stifled a laugh at the looks on his new friends' faces and with a bit more effort than he usually expended to apparate, he turned a bit on the spot and a moment later was standing outside a wrought iron gate, about fifteen feet tall.

Buffy was the first to speak. "Whoa. I don't think I can jump that."

Willow, Xander and Harry looked up as well, and Xander gave a low whistle. "You probably could, but why waste the effort. I'm sure Mr. Wizard here knows a way of getting us in."

Harry, starting to get annoyed with the Mr. Wizard reference, shook his head. "Remember, he has anti-intruder jinxes all over the place. Any use of magic by an unknown source will get us in serious trouble. Buffy is going to have to try to jump."

Buffy groaned and placed her hands on her hips, sizing up the monstrosity that stood before her. She turned to Harry and complained, "who died and made you boss of this mission, anyway? Besides, can't you just magic us all over?"

Harry opened his mouth to protest, then the image of a large club floating in midair above a large mountain troll flashed through his memory. He was about to float them all over when he realized what he had just said about the wards around the manor. "Weren't you listening," he asked, becoming somewhat annoyed. "I can't do any magic to get us inside. We have to do it the normal way."

"Oh yes," Buffy retorted, "because thirty-eight year old woman taking giant leap over a fifteen foot tall metal gate is totally normal."

Harry shrugged and suppressed a grin, but he could not help the twinkling of his green eyes; a twinkling that Buffy caught and it annoyed her to no end.

"I hate you," she bit off before facing the gate again. "Here goes nothing, then. One…two…three." With a loud grunt, Buffy bent her knees and pushed off, hard, from the balls of her feet. She shot straight up into the air and tilted her body forward, willing herself over the obstacle keeping her from Dawn. Her feet barely grazed the top of the gate as she went over and a moment later she landed, gracefully as a cat, a small puff of air escaping her lips. She turned around, and looked expectantly at Harry, resting her right hand casually on her waist.

"Oh, no," he said warily, shaking his head. "I can't jump that. I'm no Slayer."

"So how do you guys get in?" The slayer asked, frowning in uncertainty. "I mean, I'm over, and that's great, but I probably can't get too close to Bad Mojo Guy before he starts hitting me with the spells."

"Buffy," he said, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. For being such a well-trained and seasoned fighter, Buffy was certainly clueless. "Turn the handle."

Confusion marred the pretty blonde's features for a moment as she stared in the general vicinity of where Harry was pointing. Confusion soon gave way to realization and she stepped over to the gate's entrance, placing a hand on the knob that protruded from the door. She frowned again and looked at Harry for reassurance. He nodded, indicating that she should go ahead and turn the knob. Buffy did so and yanked hard on the door which opened with a loud, remonstrative groan.

Once everyone had crossed the threshold, they began walking carefully to the manor in silence. But something was bothering Buffy and she whispered softly to Harry. "I don't get it," she muttered in an undertone. "Why would there be a handle on a gate into a wizard's home? That seems really--"

"Stupid?" Harry murmured back, keeping an eye out for Malfoy as well as any other surprises. "Malfoy may not put much stock in the Muggle way of doing things, but people know that about him and he would never expect anyone to enter his home using something as ordinary as a door. The people Malfoy associates with are high-class, incredibly powerful wizards. As long as he knew they were coming, they would use a magical means of transport. Walking would be beneath them."

Buffy shook her head, also keeping an eye out for anything unusual. "You magic-y types, always have to do things the easy way."

A loud "Hey!" came from behind them and Buffy and Harry both turned around to see Willow standing with her hands balled into fists, ground firmly into her waist. "I haven't used magic to do simple things for a very long time, thank you very much," she told them defiantly.

"I don't think she was talking about you, Wills," Xander whispered, leaning into her.

"Oh. Yeah."

Buffy shook her head fondly at Willow and turned to grin at Harry. "That's our Willow. She acts like she's all brains and no brawn."

Harry felt there was more to this statement and looked sideways at Buffy. "But?"

Buffy shrugged. "But appearances can be deceiving. She's a powerful Wicca who almost destroyed the world once. I'm not saying she'd do it again," Buffy told him hurriedly, seeing the look of shock on his face, "but you shouldn't underestimate her."

"I remember hearing something about that several years ago. I never would have thought Willow was the same person though," Harry said, trying to explain his shock. "And I definitely wouldn't underestimate her. Her power comes off of her in waves."

The rest of the way to the manor was relatively silent; the only sounds were the footsteps of the four members of Dawn's rescue team getting closer to the door. Buffy briefly wondered how they were going to get inside the house until Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at the door, _"Alohamora!"_ He looked back at Buffy and muttered, "He's going to find out about us eventually. It's better if we control when."

The lock clicked loudly and the door opened slightly. Buffy pushed it open and walked through first, looking around cautiously then motioned for the others to follow her. Buffy, Willow and Xander looked around, mouths agape as they took in the massiveness of the foyer. "This place is amazing," Willow exclaimed in an exaggerated whisper.

Harry, who had been in Malfoy Manor several times before, simply nodded noncommittally. In his opinion, Malfoy had a lot of junk to impress people, but there were several things in his life he was lacking. Harry placed a finger to his lips to shush them and mimed that they needed to find Dawn in a hurry especially since it was very likely that Malfoy knew of their presence by now. Willow looked down at her shoes sheepishly and nodded. "Follow me," Harry whispered as he climbed the stairs. Buffy, Willow, then Xander followed silently after him, their nerves on total alert for any movement.

Harry had been in every known location on the Malfoy home, but he had always been looking for something and rarely gave the décor much notice. This time, however, he had nothing better to do than to take in his surroundings and began to look around, oddly impressed by the fine art Malfoy had around his house. Having not grown up with a lot of nice things, Harry now enjoyed some of the finer things in life, holding more of an appreciation for the things he could now afford. He was impressed, yes, but there wasn't a soul who could accuse him of being jealous. Being able to afford expensive things could not hold a candle to having the friends and family he had surrounding and supporting him. That was something Malfoy never had and Harry actually found himself pitying the former Slytherin.

"From what you said earlier, and as it's really the only place in here that has a multitude of books on the dark arts, I'm fairly certain your sister is in Malfoy's study," Harry whispered to Buffy who had come up next to him as they strode down one of the many winding corridors of the Malfoy Manor. "I'd think he would try to hide some of his more archaic volumes, but he may have gotten careless what with your sister falling out of his fireplace earlier.

Buffy stiffened a little but kept her focus forward. Harry had no idea the kind of danger her sister was in if this Malfoy character found out whom she really was.

"What is it, Buffy?" Harry kept his voice low, but couldn't keep the concern out of his tone. But Buffy just shook her head and held a finger to her lips, silencing him. Something about this whole situation had really unsettled the Slayer and that alone gave Harry a feeling of foreboding. He understood her fear, sure, but she seemed almost overprotective of her younger sister, and as far as Harry knew, Dawn was old enough to take care of herself. Buffy's strange behavior had Harry's curiosity piqued and he wondered if there was more to their relationship than being your everyday, run of the mille sisters. He planned on bringing the issue to Hermione who he was sure would dive at the chance for more research.

As they neared the study, the door to the room Dawn was most likely in creaked open slowly behind them and Buffy turned around immediately relaxing into a fighting stance next to Harry, who did not have Buffy's slayer reflexes and before he could turn around, a familiar voice bellowed, _"Stupefy! Petrificus Totalus!"_ Harry flew backward, now stiff as a board, and knocked Willow and Xander to the ground.

Willow scrambled to her feet, barely noticing Harry's immobile state, and held her hands out to her sides, energy crackling at the end of her fingertips. A tall blonde man, handsome in an annoying 'I'm so beautiful and I know it' kind of way, stood and watched with a half-interested smirk playing at the corner of his mouth, as the woman's hair grew steadily darker and her eyes turned black, filling with dark magic. Aware of the impending danger, Xander sprang to his feet and dove on top of her, taking the Wicca to the ground. "Willow, no! No magic!" They fell hard to the marble floor with a loud grunt. Xander held Willow tightly to his chest and Draco could just barely hear the redhead whispering fearfully, "I'm sorry. I-I'm so s-sorry."

Xander just pulled her closer and moved his hand in comforting circles on her back, holding her as he had done many years ago on Blind Man's Bluff. Buffy, still keeping a well-trained eye on this Malfoy-character, stepped closer to Xander and Willow and placed a hand lightly on Xander's shoulder. Xander barely acknowledged her presence, but Buffy knew he felt her support. After all they had been through the three of them had stuck together and would continue to be there for each other.

Malfoy stood a few feet away from them, glaring at each of them haughtily. "Not very stealthy, Potter," the former Slytherin prince said casually, making his way slowly down the steps, holding on his father's old cane at his side. He turned his attention to Buffy and leered unpleasantly. "And who do we have here? Your fan club of Weasley and Weasley getting too small for you?"

Buffy stepped forward menacingly, addressing Malfoy in a low and dangerous voice. "Look at me like that again and you will lose more than just your eyesight. Now, you are going to bring us to my sister and if you try anything at all, I will ruin any chance you had of having any offspring."

Malfoy stepped back a bit, the shock on his face at Buffy's harsh tone so quickly replaced by one of annoyed passivity that Buffy wasn't sure she had seen it. Not entirely certain who this woman's sister was, although he had an inkling, he shrugged uninterestedly. "Okay," he said, walking towards Buffy who tensed.

"First, take the whammy off of Harry," Buffy demanded.

Malfoy gave her a sideways glare, muttering to himself as he stepped towards Potter who was lying motionless on his floor. "Whammy? Damn Mudbloods." He pointed his wand at Potter and muttered the counter curse, turning towards the three intruders. "There," he said with a satisfied smirk. "Happy?"

Buffy merely glared daggers at him, still in a fighting stance, and not entirely happy at the phrase she had heard him use. _Mudblood._ She had no idea what it meant, but something about the word made the hairs on her neck stand on end. She barely noticed Harry pull himself off the floor to come stand at her side, holding his wand out slightly in front of him. "Take us to my sister," she said again, her tone more demanding than it had been the first time.

Malfoy frowned. The blonde vixen had to have been referring to the woman snooping around his study at the moment, but there was no way they were sisters. Their energies were far too different for them to be related, yet they were almost identical. Almost as if—no. That was impossible. "Your who?"

Buffy looked ready to charge at Malfoy and start throwing punches, but Harry laid a steady hand on her arm and shook his head slightly. "My sister, you snake," she hissed. "What have you done with her?"

"I suppose you are referring to Dawn, the charming woman who appeared in my study a few hours ago?" Draco relented.

Buffy nodded curtly. There was no way she was going to let this man charm his way out of this.

Cocking his head, Draco gave Buffy another approving glance, his ice blue eyes roaming slowly over her tense form. "Funny," he finally said, "I don't see any resemblance. You don't hold a candle to Dawn's beauty. And the way she moves," he waggled his eyebrows suggestively and this time it was Xander who went to charge at the wizard, mouth set in a grim line and fire blazing behind his good eye. Draco pointed his wand at him lazily and sent Xander flying backward down the corridor into the wall where he whacked his head and slumped forward.

Buffy tensed more upon hearing the sound of Xander's head smacking against the wall behind her, but remained where she stood. If Malfoy began firing curses at her, she wouldn't have a fighting chance of getting to Dawn. She just needed to center herself and remain calm. "If you laid a hand on my sister," she threatened.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll kill, maim, and dismember me," Draco intoned. "Relax. We talked, that's all. And she's right here in the study."

Buffy immediately pushed passed Malfoy into the study. She skidded to a stop in the entry of the room revealing Dawn who gaped at Buffy in amazement. "Man," she said barely holding back a grin, "you don't waste any time, do you?"


	4. I Solemnly Swear

A/N: Thought I would try a crossover that keeps in line with where both series ended. This takes place about 16 years after Chosen and approximately 19 or 20 after Deathly Hallows. The main characters from both verses are around the same age and anyone who died in either series should remain so.

Summary: After defeating the First in Sunnydale, Buffy Summers and the remaining players from the Sunnydale gang made it their mission to locate all of the new Slayers that were popping up all over the globe. They re-structured the Watcher's Council from the inside out and have been working for the last 16 years to train the new Slayers, equipping them to go back home with a Watcher and protect their homes and surrounding areas without worrying about the entire world. After Harry succeeded in killing Voldemort, he entered Auror training and quickly rose through the ranks to become Head of the Auror Department. Things have been relatively quiet in the Wizarding World; however, he and his compatriots occasionally run into a few Death Eaters who are bent on the total destruction of Muggles. A new threat is beginning to rise, putting both Buffy and Harry and there loved ones in danger. This is nothing new for either of them, but when the two worlds collide, will it be enough to stop the return of an old foe?

Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to or ownership of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Harry Potter and subsequent stories or characters. No copyright infringement is intended on either works of creative genius. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the property of creator Joss Whedon and Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.

_**Chapter 4: I Solemnly Swear**_

"_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Fred and George Weasley, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_

Ginny Potter blew a wayward piece of Weasley-red hair out of her eyes as she levitated fresh baked lasagna out of the oven onto her stove. It had taken her a few months after she and Harry had tied the knot to get the hang of using her magic to cook. Watching her mum when she was growing up certainly helped things, and hanging out with Hermione all the time meant that Ginny could learn from the other witch. There were some things, however, that she truly enjoyed doing the muggle way and so she walked over to the sink, filled it with soapy water, and started to wash a few dirty dishes by hand. She had just finished with a pot and was about to rinse it and place it on a towel she had laid out on the counter to dry when she felt a pair of hands slide around her waist. "You should be more careful," she said in a low voice, "my husband will be home soon. He can get very jealous." Ginny grinned and quickly wiped her hands on the front of her robes and turned around to look up into Harry's twinkling green eyes.

"I'll take my chances," he responded huskily, leaning down to capture her mouth in a kiss. When he released her, Ginny's cheeks were flushed and she rested her forehead against his muscular chest, breathing deeply. "There are easier ways to wash those dishes, you know," Harry said as he buried his face in her hair and breathed in the familiar scent of vanilla and lavender.

They pulled away from each other and Ginny leaned up against the sink, nodding. "I know. I just like doing things the normal way sometimes," she replied, "Welcome home, by the way."

"Thanks," Harry said, hopping up on the counter across from Ginny. "I missed you."

"We've missed you, too. Al has been asking about you since the moment you left and James is itching to practice his Keeper skills with you. Ron and Hermione came over with the kids last night and they got a game going, but no one can play Seeker like you can. I think they were planning on stopping by tonight, too."

Harry nodded. "Excellent. I can run a few things by the both of them about the newest threat. I need Hermione to do some research for me." It had been about two weeks since Harry had first contacted the oldest living Slayer in history, Buffy Summers, and he couldn't stop thinking about her overreaction to Dawn Summers' disappearance. It had honestly surprised Harry how easy it had been to 'rescue' the younger woman from Malfoy's clutches, but as the Slytherin had reminded them, Dawn was not his hostage. She had just entered his home uninvited. Consequently, they had all left with Dawn safely in tow and returned to the Watcher's Council headquarters. Too tired to discuss the night's activities, Xander had told Harry he could bunk with him for the night and they would get down to business the following day.

Harry spent the next several days observing and speaking with several of the Slayers to determine who would be best suited to go to Hogwarts. He had spent the most time with a young witch who had attended Durmstrang until a few days prior when she had been Called as a Slayer and was most concerned with continuing her magical education as well as beginning her training as one of the Chosen. So after several discussions with Buffy, Xander, Willow, Dawn and Giles, it was decided that Mena Emerson would receive her training while attending Hogwarts and she would be accompanied by eight other Slayers including Buffy. Those chosen to go to Hogwarts would be there primarily to protect the students and continue their training. They were going to encourage magical training but not emphasize it as Harry had discovered that they Slayer's powers often blocked the girls from using any sort of wand magic. The following week had been spent setting up space at Hogwarts to accommodate the new additions to the school.

"Is it anything I can help with," Ginny asked in concern.

Harry looked at his wife thoughtfully and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. "Possibly," he said slowly. "I want to find out more about the Summers sisters. I just feel there is much more than meets the eye with those two."

Ginny stared at him guardedly. "I'm not sure I want to ask what you mean by that, my dear husband."

Harry looked back at her, confusion settling over his features, followed by utter revulsion. "Oh. Ginny, you are sick! That is not what I meant!"

"Really."

"I just meant that the Slayer is far too overprotective of her sister for it to be considered normal," Harry explained, shaking his head in exasperation. "Sometimes I am amazed by how your brain works."

Ginny shrugged and grinned at him slyly. "It's a gift," she replied. "So, do you think they're not like normal sisters, then?"

Harry nodded slowly, unsure of how exactly to explain what he meant. It was a gut feeling he had developed after spending time with both women. "They're essences are too much alike, for one thing," he finally said. "Even you and your brothers have a similar signature, but they're also very different. With Buffy and Dawn, though, it was difficult to tell one apart from the other. It was as though they are the same person."

Ginny frowned thoughtfully and stared across the kitchen at her husband. "I wonder if there would be anything about that in the Department of Mysteries," she mused.

"Even if there was, I can't access anything down there," Harry reminded her, shaking his head. "I may be Head Auror, but there are certain places within the Ministry even I'm not allowed to go into."

"You forget, dear husband," Ginny chided him; "I used to work in the Department of Mysteries before our children were born. As did Hermione, for that matter, and since Kingsley loves us both, I'm sure he would let us snoop around a bit. If you're going to be working with these women, shouldn't you know as much as you can about them," she asked defensively when she saw Harry open his mouth to protest.

"I'll think about it," Harry relented, "but if Kingsley says no, I don't want you to push the matter."

Ginny nodded her agreement although she wasn't entirely pleased by the decision. The truth was she was bored staying at home all the time. Now that Lily would be joining her brothers at Hogwarts in the fall and Harry would be working, Ginny was dreading being home alone much of the time. Being a housewife was suitable for her mother, certainly, but Ginny was much too adventurous for that. She craved the excitement of working in the Department of Mysteries, but after being gone for so long, she wasn't sure if she could go back either.

A moment later they heard a knock on the door. Harry jumped off the counter and strode over to the door to open it. Ginny followed after him and the Potter's grinned widely at the sight of Ron and Hermione accompanied by their four children as well as Harry and Ginny's own three. "Dad!" The Potter children pushed past their cousins and tackled Harry so that he stumbled backward and fell into the stairs, laughing as he tried to hug all of them at once. A few moments and many tangled limbs later, Ginny stepped forward, laughing as well and pulled their youngest, Lily off of her brothers. James and Albus extracted themselves from the massive hug as well and each boy grabbed their father's hands, pulling him to his feet.

"Hey guys," Harry said fondly as he tousled Albus' hair, which was exactly like his father's. "I missed you."

"We missed you, too, Daddy," Lily told him, smiling shyly, standing next to Ginny. "Mummy wouldn't take us to Diagon Alley until you got back."

Harry laughed heartily and knelt down next to Ginny to pull his only daughter into a hug. "Is that the only reason you missed me?" He teased, smiling when she pulled back and looked at him with wide eyes, shaking her head emphatically. "I'm kidding. Tell you what, Lilykins; we'll all go to Diagon Alley to get your school things tomorrow, okay?"

Lily nodded and she smiled widely, her eyes brightening at the prospect. She had been to Diagon Alley lots of times to get school supplies for her brothers, but this would be the first time she would be getting anything for her first year of schooling at Hogwarts. "Can I get an owl, Daddy?" She asked pleadingly.

Harry looked at Ginny helplessly who simply shook her head and laughed. "She's your daughter," she mouthed.

"I'll think about it, darling," he finally said, knowing that he couldn't give in to his baby girl. "Now, why don't you kids run out back and get a good game of Quidditch going? James, you can use my broom if you'll let Lily borrow yours."

"Excellent!" James shouted, grinning from ear to ear and took Lily by the hand, practically dragging her outside. The rest of the children, all of whom made up an entire Quidditch team of their own quickly followed them, animatedly discussing how they would divide up their teams.

"I seem to remember having their energy at some point in life," Ron remarked, shaking his head in amusement. "Good to have you back, Harry."

Harry gave his long-time friend a hearty pat on the back. "Good to be back, Ron, thanks. Hermione, how have you been?"

"Trying to keep busy," she replied, linking her arm through Ron's. "Do you have good news for us?"

"I do," Harry nodded, "but perhaps we should go sit down before we start discussing business?"

The other three nodded their assent and followed Harry into the kitchen where they all sat around the table. Ron and Hermione looked expectantly at Harry who was leaning back in his chair, hands placed comfortably behind his head. "Well?" Hermione finally said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Well what?" Harry grinned teasingly at her. He loved to frustrate her to no end.

"Are they coming?"

"They are coming," Harry confirmed. "Not all of them, of course, but the head Slayer, Buffy, is coming and she is bringing eight other girls."

"Brilliant!" Ron exclaimed. "Are they really as strong as they say?"

Harry nodded. "Stronger, I'd wager. I attended a few of their training sessions and even went on a few patrols with them. Let me tell you, I would not want to be on the receiving end of those kicks."

"Gives new meaning to the phrase, 'hits like a girl', eh?" Ginny teased her husband, who flushed a bit.

"Hey," he said defensively, "I've never categorized women as being weaker than men. There have been many missions I've assigned more females to than males, I'll have you know."

"Can we have the weaker sex argument at another time," Hermione huffed impatiently. "How exactly is the school planning on getting the Slayers in place? Is McGonagall going to just tell everyone the truth about their identities?"

Harry frowned at this; they hadn't discussed how the appearance of several females would be explained to the students in all of their meetings. "I don't know what kind of a cover story we could come up with," he finally said. "Other than Mena who's transferring from Durmstrang, we can't say they're transfer students because they can't do wand magic."

Both Ron and Hermione looked shocked at this new revelation. They had done the research with Harry and they were fairly positive that they Slayers all contained a magical essence that would allow them to perform magic with a wand. This would set them back immensely. "What do you mean, they can't do wand magic?" Ron asked in confusion. "I thought we figured out they could."

"Well, yeah, that's what we found," Harry agreed, "but I took them to Diagon Alley, just a couple girls at a time, and we couldn't find wands for any of them. It had me completely confused until Willow, the Wicca who activated all the Slayers, told me that the Slayers powers come from earth magic; it's completely different from what we use."

"Could they do earth magic then," Hermione wondered. "I mean, if that's where their powers come from, shouldn't they be able to tap into it then?"

"Willow's working on it," replied Harry. "She says it'll take some time, but if the power is already in them, it shouldn't take long to access it."

Hermione nodded, apparently satisfied with this answer. It somehow didn't seem fair to ask these girls, some of whom were barely teenagers, to come a protect students at a magic school when they couldn't even do magic themselves. Teaching them a different kind of magic, however, might give them the edge they needed to fight Malfoy and whoever else had aligned themselves with him.

"I do have a little research project for you, Hermione," Harry said. "I need to find out more information about the Slayer and her sister."

"I expect you're referring to Ms. Summers," Hermione replied, "but why are you so interested in her relationship with her sister?"

Harry then proceeded to explain the situation and what he had observed of Buffy and Dawn. "It's just an instinct I have, but there's something more to the two of them. I was thinking you and Ginny could work together and see if you can find anything?"

Hermione nodded her agreement and looked over at Ginny. "No problem. If Rose is up to minding the younger kids, we can get started tomorrow."

Ginny voiced her agreement as well and then suggested bringing the kids inside for dinner, as the lasagna was probably getting cold. She pushed her chair back from the table and poked her head outside to put a halt on what looked like an exciting Quidditch match. "Time for dinner, guys! Come on in!"

Groans rose up from the kids, but they all descended to the ground below and propped their brooms up against the side of the house. Once everyone had been situated around the table, with plates filled to the brim with lasagna, the conversation turned to the upcoming year at Hogwarts. James, in particular, was very curious about the new additions to the school, but Lily was incredibly concerned about the Sorting. She desperately wanted to be in the same house as her brothers and just as they were trying to reassure her that they would talk to her no matter what house she was in, a large tawny owl flew in through the window and landed in front of Harry.

"Hey there, Annabelle," Harry greeted the bird softly, untying a rolled up piece of paper from her talons. "Do you have something for me from Buffy, then?" Annabelle, who had been named for a Potential slayer who hadn't made it through the fight with the First, nipped gently at his fingers and hooted softly. "Hold on just a second, girl," Harry told her as he unrolled the paper and quietly read the note from Buffy.

_Harry,_

_Hey, okay so this sending mail by owls is kind of weird, but you said that Annabelle would be able to find you, so here's hoping, I guess. I've spoken with Giles and Willow and after you helped me 'rescue' Dawn, I wanted to help you get this Malfoy guy. I know we pretty much already told you that, but I thought you should know that Willow and Xander are going to join us too, at least for a little while. Willow is going to teach the girls some basic magic and Xander is really good at keeping up morale. I can't spare them for too long because we need them here at the Council, but I expect for both of them to be around for the first couple of months. Dawn is coming as well. I feel better when she's close by. I guess I'll never get over being an overly protective big sister._

_See you on the train to Hogwarts!  
_

_Buffy Anne Summers, Head Vampire Slayer_

"It's from Buffy," Harry said, after reading the letter. "She just wanted to confirm that they're coming and to let me know that a couple more people will be joining her."

"More Slayers?" Ginny asked curiously.

Harry shook his head and folded the paper into quarters, placing it next to his plate. "No. Her sister and friends, Willow and Xander, are coming. Well, Willow and Xander may only stay for the first few months and then go back to the Council, but I think Dawn, Buffy's sister is going to be there for the whole year."

"Any particular reason why the other two are joining them?" Hermione interjected before popping a large bite of lasagna into her mouth.

"Well, Willow is the Wicca I was telling you about," Harry began, "and she's the one who will be teaching the Slayers earth magic. I also think she was having some issues with her magic when I was there and maybe they're hoping she can get it under control while at Hogwarts. As for Xander, well, he doesn't really have any special powers, but he is a very valuable member of the Council."

Hermione nodded, seemingly satisfied with Harry's answer and continued eating her dinner. Once everyone had finished, the two families moved into the family room where the children started a game of Exploding Snap that would have lasted long into the night, but Ron and Hermione stood up and gathered their children, Rose and Hugo in the lead, while Sirius and Minnie yawned loudly and stumbled out the door just in front of their parents. Harry, Ginny, James, Albus and Lily stood in the doorway and waved their goodbyes, agreeing to meet at Madame Malkin's the following morning around ten 'o clock.

"All right, kids, it's time for you all to go up to bed," Harry said, ushering his children inside. Before they could start protesting, he broke in and told them, "If you don't go to bed now, there will be no trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow. And I know at least one of my children is in need of a wand."

With a yelp and a wild-eyed look at her father, Lily quickly scampered up the stairs past James and Albus to her room. Harry and Ginny both laughed as the last thing they heard was a hasty "Good night, Mum! Good night, Dad!" before they heard the door slam shut.

"We should probably go upstairs, too," James said, also smiling after his younger sister. "Come on, Al. Good night, Dad. Good night, Mum." Harry first gave James, then Albus, a pat on the back followed by a brief hug, while Ginny leaned in to kiss them both on the cheek.

After the boys had gone to bed, Harry and Ginny settled themselves on the couch in the family room; Ginny nestled comfortably under Harry's arm and sat in silence for a few moments. They had ended their nights like this for several years now; without the interruptions from the kids, just the two of them enjoying each other's company and since Harry had been gone for two weeks, they both missed these moments together. Harry absently stroked Ginny's arm and smiled softly as she snuggled closer into his chest, closed her eyes and eventually fell asleep.

Unable to fall asleep right away himself, Harry eventually dozed off just before dawn, so when Ginny woke up at eight the next morning and began to shake him awake, he simply groaned and turned over on the couch, trying desperately to ignore her. "Harry," Ginny whispered, drawing out his name slightly, "time to wake up. You don't want to disappoint your daughter by not taking her to Diagon Alley today."

At this, Harry rolled back over and rubbed his fists in his eyes in an attempt to rid them of the sleep that had gathered in their corners. " 'Smornin' already?" He mumbled incoherently.

Ginny grinned down at him, standing with her hand on her hip. "I don't know why you're so tired," she teased; "I feel very well rested."

"You didn't go to sleep after the sun came up," Harry retorted, still refusing to open his eyes.

"No," she agreed, "I'm smarter than that. Now, really Harry, it's time to get up. The kids need breakfast and we're meeting Ron and Hermione in just a few hours. Lily is dying to go; I heard her bouncing around upstairs at 6:30 this morning."

Harry pushed himself up onto his elbow and shook his head to rid his brain of the cobwebs of sleep. "Okay, okay, I'm up."

"Excellent," Ginny clapped her hands together and grinned. "James! Albus! Lily! Dad's awake! I hope you're ready to go to Diagon Alley!"

_Diagon Alley_

After all three Potter children spent forty-five minutes of trying to pull Harry off the couch, who took an hour to get dressed, followed by an additional hour for everyone to settle down and eat breakfast, the Potter clan was finally ready to go to Diagon Alley. One by one, they lined up in front of the fireplace and grabbing a fistful of green Floo powder, shouted "Diagon Alley!", and tumbled out of one of the many grates located in the wizarding shopping district. Harry stumbled out last and grinned down at his daughter who was covered in soot from head to toe. "All right, Lily?" He asked, mussing up her long, red locks. Lily looked up at him and grinned widely, practically jumping up and down. "I'll take that as a yes. So what's the plan, Gin?"

Ginny surveyed her small brood of children then looked at Harry. "Gringott's, I suppose. Unless you have enough left over from your little trips here with you-know-who."

Harry frowned at her in confusion. _You-Know-Who? _"Um, Gin, besides the fact that he's been dead for years, I've never been to Diagon Alley with You-Know-Who and I don't think it would have been a friendly encounter if I had."

"What?" Ginny gaped at her husband, only slightly aware of the fact that James and Albus were both doubled over in silent laughter. "Merlin's wand, Harry! Not _You-Know-Who_; you-know-who."

"Apparently I-don't-know-who, because we're still having this conversation," Harry retorted.

"You-know-who. As in those people that we're not talking about with whom you just spent the past two weeks?"

Harry's eyes brightened with sudden understanding. "_Ah!_ Yes. That you-know-who. I'm pretty much tapped from those trips, so Gringott's it is." He took Lily by the hand and began leading her in the direction of the wizarding bank that towered over them.

"Oh, honestly," Ginny softly exploded. "Come on then James; Albus, we need to stay with your father."

James and Albus jogged ahead to catch up with Harry and Lily. When Ginny had caught up with them in front of the bank's doors, she heard Harry giving their children what had become the yearly lecture about entering Gringott's. "Remember kids, as long as you are quiet and respectful and don't give the goblins any reason not to trust you, you'll be fine. Touch anything and you will live to regret it," he paused, a thoughtful look crossing over his face. "Actually, I'm not really sure about living to regret anything. You may not make it out alive at all."

Lily's eyes widened and whimpered softly in fright. "Brilliant, Harry," Ginny scolded, placing her hand on Lily's shoulder, "you've just succeeded in scaring your daughter half to death."

"Best she learns now," Harry replied glancing fondly at his youngest. "Right, Lilykins?"

Lily just nodded mutely, her eyes still wide with fright. She grasped her mother's hand tightly as they entered the doors of the bank and looked around, shrinking closely to Ginny's side as she caught sight of a few goblins hurrying about muttering crossly to themselves. Harry led the way to one of the tellers with the James and Albus walking briskly to keep up with him and Ginny followed closely behind, Lily in tow. "Good afternoon," Harry greeted the goblin politely. It was Griphook, if he wasn't mistaken, the goblin who he, Hermione and Ron had betrayed before Harry had killed the Dark Lord. Harry had not received good customer service from the goblin since that event.

Griphook peered down his long nose at the children standing at Harry's side then turned his attention reluctantly to Harry. "Good afternoon, _sir_," he said, drawing out the sir with ill-disguised contempt in his voice.

"I wish to make a withdrawal from vault 512," Harry said, still keeping his tone light. He had apologized to Griphook several times over the last few years, but he was finished saying he was sorry. He had done what he needed to do at the time to defeat Voldemort.

"And do you have your key, Mr. Potter?" Griphook replied archly. He waited as Harry pulled a small key out of his cloak and presented it to him. "Very well. Wait here please." Griphook jumped down to the floor and beckoned another goblin over. "Escort Mr. Potter and his family to their vault."

The ride in the old rickety cart was as perilous and nauseating as the Potter's remembered it being. This was far from Lily's first ride into the bowels of Gringott's, but when the cart finally came to a screeching halt, she leapt out grinning widely and ran to the family vault. The goblin who had accompanied them, hurried forward and opening the vault, stepped aside and waited silently for the Potter's to gather what they needed. James and Albus both hurried in and quickly filled their pouches, but Harry and Ginny stopped Lily before she could do the same.

Harry reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a small leather pouch that looked very much like the ones James and Albus had. "Lily," he smiled at her, "now that you'll be starting at Hogwarts, your mother and I wanted to give you your own money pouch to buy your school supplies."

The youngest Potter thanked them profusely before accepting her new gift and hurrying inside the vault to fill the pouch. She had been somewhat expecting this, as her parents had given both James and Albus their money pouches on their first trip to Diagon Alley before entering school at Hogwarts. Harry and Ginny grinned at each other as they waited for Lily to collect a pouch-full of Knuts and Galleons, then followed James, Albus and Lily into the cart, holding on for dear life as they took off on the rickety tracks.

Feeling a bit queasy after their ride on the Gringott's carts, Harry stumbled down the steps after his family, hoping for a stop at the Leaky Cauldron after their shopping trip. "Where to now, Gin?" He inquired, turning to his wife.

Ginny tilted her head a bit and glanced at their children. "I told Hermione that we would all meet them at Flourish and Blott's then maybe you and Ron can take the boys while we take care of getting the girl's things. Lily will need a wand and some new robes."

"And an owl?" Lily asked again, eagerly jumping up and down.

"I don't know, Lily," Ginny hedged, looking at Harry.

"Aw, mum, please? James got a new broom his first year and first years aren't even supposed to _have_ brooms! And Albus got a cat; why can't I get an owl?"

Harry grinned and shook his head fondly at his daughter. "She has a point, Ginny. Let's meet the Weasley's at Flourish and Blott's and then I'll take the boys while you and Lily do the rest of her shopping."

Ginny agreed, albeit reluctantly, that their daughter should have something special to celebrate her entry into Hogwarts. She took Lily's hand and walked behind her husband and children to Flourish and Blott's, trying valiantly to ignore the excited muttering of her daughter.

"There's Aunt 'Mione!" Lily suddenly exclaimed, pointing wildly towards the entrance of the bookshop. She hastily released her mother's hand and ran, grinning, to greet her favorite aunt with a hug. "Can you believe it? I'm finally starting at Hogwarts!!"

Hermione laughed, returning the hug and tousling Lily's hair affectionately. The girl's enthusiasm was certainly infectious and she was reminded a bit of herself when she had gone to Diagon Alley to buy her school things for her first year at Hogwarts so many years ago. "Hey Lilybug! Are you ready to do some shopping?"

Lily nodded, her grin growing even wider as she peered around Hermione into Flourish and Blott's and took in the sight of the shelves piled high with books she would soon be reading. "We're all gonna get our books," she said, turning back to Hermione, "and then mom is going to take me to get my robes and everything, and maybe they're going to get me an owl!"

"_Lily's_ getting an owl?" A voice whined from behind them. "Why can't _I_ get an owl, mum?" Hugo Weasley, also entering Hogwarts for the first time as a student, tugged on his mother's arm impatiently.

"You can use Rose's owl, dear," Hermione replied smoothly. "Besides, you're getting all brand new school things which is something your father and aunt and uncles never had growing up."

Hugo twirled a finger next to his head in mock excitement. "Whoo hoo. New school supplies. I can hardly contain myself."

Harry, who had just joined them, laughed at his nephew and winked conspiratorially at him. "Perhaps your Aunt Ginny and I can find something a little more your style, hey Hugo?"

The eleven-year olds' eyes lit up while Hermione pursed her lips disapprovingly at Harry. "I don't want to spoil him, Harry," she told him sternly.

"Aw, come one Hermione," Harry protested good-naturedly, "he's only a kid once. He should be able to have some fun."

"Just don't go overboard, please," Hermione finally answered, however reluctantly.

"Cross my heart," Harry replied, doing exactly that.

A moment later, Ginny, James and Albus walked up and Harry quickly moved to hold open the door for his immediate and extended family to enter the bookstore. Ginny ushered Lily inside and removed a folded up piece of parchment from her robes, quickly reviewing the books her daughter would need. Hermione mirrored these actions, leading Hugo to the far side of Flourish and Blott's perusing the shelves and periodically pulling books, placing them in the basket she had hanging from the crook of her arm.

After nearly an hour had passed, both the Potter and Weasley children had been sufficiently laden down with their school books. Harry and Ron each placed them in bags that had feather-light charm placed on them on slung the bags over their shoulders. Ginny and Hermione suggested that they would take the girls to get the rest of their supplies while Ron and Harry would take the boys.

Harry and Ron both nodded their agreement and watched as Ginny and Hermione led Lily, Minerva, and Rose towards Madame Malkin's to buy the older girls their first set of school robes. Clapping his hands together, Harry turned towards James, Albus, Hugo and Sirius with a mischievous grin. "So, who wants nip over to see Uncle George before we get started?"

"Excellent!" The boys exclaimed.

"Uncle George just put up some new merchandise," Hugo said as they walked towards Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

James piped up enthusiastically, "And I really wanted to pick up a new supply of Skiv-er, Shield Hats and Cloaks."

Harry laughed at the slight blush that had crept over his oldest son's face when he had realized his slip and patted James' shoulder. "I skived off plenty of classes while I was at Hogwarts, son, I'm not about to condemn you for it. Just keep it down to a minimum, will you?"

"Sure, dad," James replied with a grin as he opened the door to his uncle's joke shop, followed by Albus and their nine-year old cousin, Sirius, both of whom went straight for the fake wands, then Ron, who went to talk with Fred and Angelina, whom he had spotted in the back of the store. Hugo entered next but was held back by a strong, gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Hugo," Harry said in a low voice, "do you have a moment?"

Hugo frowned up at his uncle, but nodded, allowing Harry to lead him off to a remote corner of the store. This was a difficult feat in itself, since the entire joke shop was crawling with customers. "What is it, Uncle Harry?" Hugo asked once they had determined they weren't being spied upon, the concern evident in his voice.

Instead of answering immediately, Harry slowly removed a very old and torn piece of parchment from his robes. He began to unfold it very gingerly and with a sly wink at Hugo, he pointed his wand at it and murmured, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

To Hugo's utter shock and amazement, dark lines started to appear on the parchment forming some kind of intricate map or chart. Soon, Hugo could just barely make out words written in neat and tiny script, some of them resembling small bubbles containing a few names moving along the lines on the parchment. "Is that-? That's not a map, is it?"

Harry nodded, his green eyes twinkling. "It is. Do you know where it's a map to?"

Hugo shook his head, eyes wide in disbelief as he continued to stare at the map in Harry's hands.

"It's Hogwarts. It shows every hallway, every classroom, and every hidden passage. You can even see where professors and students are located in the school. If you need to know the password to get into a room, the map will show you that as well."

"Where did you find it?"

Harry smiled fondly at the memory from his third year. "Your Uncles George and Fred gave it to me. They had found it their first year and passed it on to me because they thought I needed it more than they did. My Dad and his friends made it though, when they were at school." Harry folded the map so that Hugo could read the faded green writing on the front:

_**Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present**_

_**The Marauder's Map**_

"Why are you showing it to me, though?" Hugo asked, finally tearing his eyes away from the map and looking up at his uncle.

"I want you to have it. I don't really need it anymore and somebody else needs to start creating some mayhem at Hogwarts again. Besides, I think that you'll put it to the best use. If my sons ask where you got it from, just tell them you found it. I've never shown this map to them before because I've been saving it for you."

Hugo could only gape at Harry in disbelief. He loved his uncle, but he had never thought of them having any kind of a special relationship before. But now Harry was giving him this map when he could have given it to James or even Albus. It left him quite flummoxed and now all he could do was whisper a very raspy "thank you" as he blinked wide-eyed at Harry.

"You are quite welcome," Harry pat his nephew on the head gently and smiled. "Now, when you are through with the map, simply tap it and say, 'Mischief managed'. Don't forgot to wipe it clean when you're done with it; we wouldn't want this falling in the wrong hands!" Harry held the map out to Hugo who took it hesitantly and then, folding it gently in half, placed it in the inside pocket of his robes.

Hugo, being very careful not to mention one word of his conversation with Harry, felt that the rest of the day in Diagon Alley went by rather quickly. Once the males had finished up in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, they travelled in and out of stores, quickly purchasing the things they needed for the upcoming school year. While Ron took Hugo to get his wand, Harry walked over to Quality Quidditch Supplies with James and Albus, exclaiming over the newest version of the Firebolt as loudly as the schoolchildren surrounding them. By then end of the day, parents and children were laden down with school supplies, Lily proudly holding her brand new snowy owl, and several exhausted shoppers settled down for a few large bowls of ice cream, compliments of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.

"I think we wore somebody out," Ginny whispered, gesturing to her youngest niece Minerva, who had dozed off in Ron's arms and was now snoring gently.

Harry and Hermione both chuckled quietly and turned to survey the rest of the children. Everyone, save Albus and Hugo who were locked in a riveting game of chess, was staring blankly into the distance, the activities of the day clearly sending them into a deep exhaustion. James yawned loudly and looked tiredly at his parents, rubbing his eyes.

"I think that's our cue," Harry said, rising to his feet. "Come on Potter's! It's time to go!" It was a mark of just how tired they all were that there was not one complaint issued and James, Albus, and Lily all stood up to join their mum and dad. Once they had gathered up all of their things, it took them another thirty to forty-five minutes to exchange hugs and goodbyes with everyone, and by the time they had all gotten to a grate to Floo home, Lily was leaning heavily against Harry, yawning with her eyes half-closed. One by one, the Potter's entered the fireplace, Harry waiting until everyone had gone, and shouted very loudly, "Potter family home, Godric's Hollow!"


	5. My View is Changing Me

**A/N**: Thought I would try a crossover that keeps in line with where both series ended. This takes place about 16 years after Chosen and approximately 19 or 20 after Deathly Hallows. The main characters from both verses are around the same age and anyone who died in either series should remain so.

**A/N: **My apologies for the severe delay between postings; I have no excuse other than a lack of motivation to write and I've also gotten caught up in _reading_ some wonderful fics on the site rather than _writing_ my own. So here's a nice long chapter for your reading enjoyment. I've also decided that it would be wise to find a beta-reader to, at the very least, bounce some ideas around with and further my creative thinking process. If you're interested, please let me know!

**Summary**: After defeating the First in Sunnydale, Buffy Summers and the remaining players from the Sunnydale gang made it their mission to locate all of the new Slayers that were popping up all over the globe. They re-structured the Watcher's Council from the inside out and have been working for the last 16 years to train the new Slayers, equipping them to go back home with a Watcher and protect their homes and surrounding areas without worrying about the entire world. After Harry succeeded in killing Voldemort, he entered Auror training and quickly rose through the ranks to become Head of the Auror Department. Things have been relatively quiet in the Wizarding World; however, he and his compatriots occasionally run into a few Death Eaters who are bent on the total destruction of Muggles. A new threat is beginning to rise, putting both Buffy and Harry and their loved ones in danger. This is nothing new for either of them, but when the two worlds collide, will it be enough to stop the return of an old foe?

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim any rights to or ownership of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Harry Potter and subsequent stories or characters. No copyright infringement is intended on either works of creative genius. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the property of creator Joss Whedon and Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.

"_It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." Albus Dumbledore, __Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_

_Kings Cross Station; The Hogwarts Express_

Kings Cross Station was bustling as usual the morning of September 1st. The moment Buffy and the rest of her reinforcements had arrived in several different cabs, they had dove out of the cars, grabbed their luggage, and raced through the noisy train station, leaving their poor cabbies standing on the sidewalk looking quite confused. Awaiting train passengers watched in amazement as several young ladies ran through the crowd carrying several suitcases that looked far too heavy for them to manage. Even more amazing was the fact that the petite blonde leading them was managing this while running in heels.

"Platform 9 ¾," Buffy muttered to herself looking up at the signs labeling the train platforms. "7…8…9…10…Giles! There's no 9 ¾!" Buffy shouted over her shoulder drawing the attention of one of the guards.

"9 ¾, I ask you," the guard mumbled, "every year we get people looking for platform 9 ¾."

Buffy ignored him and leaned against the wall between platforms 9 and 10 with the intent of waiting for her longtime friend and former Watcher. A moment later she lost her balance and before she could stop herself, she had fallen backwards through the wall. "Huh. Well, that was graceful," she muttered, picking herself up off the ground and brushing off her stylish, yet affordable, jeans. A loud whistle blew and Buffy's head jerked in the direction of the sound. "Wow." A large, gleaming red locomotive bearing the words "Hogwarts Express" loomed in front of her, witches and wizards young and old rushing around to board the train.

"Pretty impressive, isn't it?" A voice said from beside Buffy.

"Oh!" The Slayer jumped and turned to see Harry Potter standing to her left. "Very," she agreed, and then gestured to the wall behind them. "Um, how did I-?"

"It's kind of like a magic portal," Harry explained. "A gateway from the muggle world to our world, if you will. It's actually pretty clever, if you think about it."

Buffy nodded and frowned, perplexed. "Except for people thinking you're completely off your rocker when you ask them where platform 9 ¾ is."

"Well, yes," Harry agreed, watching distractedly as more young and obviously strong girls entered the gateway, "that would be the downside. Can I help you with your things?" He moved forward and gestured towards Buffy's bags.

Also rather distracted, but not by the young and attractive females, Buffy looked at him, confusion settling on her features. "Huh? Oh, um, it's not really necessary," she finally replied. "I can handle it."

"That's not what I was asking," Harry told her, smiling gently. "I know you can handle it; I was trying to be a gentleman. My wife tells me I should work on that more."

"I think I'd like to meet your wife," Buffy responded with a grin. "She sounds pretty great."

"She is. May I?" Harry gestured towards her bags again, well aware that the train was about ready to pull away from the platform. "We really should hurry and get on the train."

"Oh! Yeah!" Buffy made a move towards the largest bag, but Harry had already beaten her to it. She stifled a laugh as the dark-haired wizard tried to lift her duffel bag, but she had packed it with so many things it would take only someone with the strength of several men to lift it. Fortunately, such a person was standing nearby. "Here," Buffy said, taking hold of the duffel and lifting it with a tiny grunt. Feeling rather sheepish, Harry took hold of the two smaller bags and flung them over his shoulder, dragging his trunk behind him.

The last of the passengers were boarding the train as Buffy and Harry hurried towards one of the doors. Buffy threw her duffel onto the train and Harry followed suit. Just as the train began to slowly pull away from the platform, a breathless voice cried out behind them. "Buffy! Wait!"

"Giles!" The sixty-something Watcher was running full boar towards the train, his rolling suitcase bouncing along unsteadily behind him. "We can't stop the train! Run faster!"

Now Giles knew the train wasn't really moving all that fast, but he certainly didn't want to miss it because he had no idea how he would get to Hogwarts if he did, so he leaned forward and dug in, finding a new speed. Buffy was leaning out of the door, holding onto the rail with one hand and stretching the other one out towards Giles. When he finally reached her, Buffy leaned out even further and took hold of his hand, grasping it firmly in her own. With a look of unspoken agreement, Giles nodded and took a flying leap, allowing Buffy to pull him onto the train. He doubled over, gasping for breath, holding his right shoulder as he had felt it pull out of the socket when he had made his daredevil jump onto the train.

"You always were one for the drama," Buffy joked weakly. "Man and I thought I was late all the time."

Giles managed a feeble smile, still clutching at his shoulder, and tried to straighten into more of an upright position. When the pain became too much, he gasped sharply and blinked back tears that had sprung to his eyes. "Bloody hell," he hissed through clenched teeth.

Buffy laid a hand gently on his back. "Giles, are you okay?"

"My shoulder," the Watcher groaned. "I think you pulled it out of the socket."

"Oh, God. Giles, I am so sorry! Do you want me to fix it?" Buffy moved to take hold of his arm, ready to move the offending shoulder back into position when Harry stepped forward and reached into his robes for his wand.

"Here let me," he offered. "I'm not great with healing charms, but I can at least do something for you until we get to Hogwarts and you can have Pomfrey fix you up." Giles gave a weak nod and Harry pointed his wand at his injured shoulder, muttering a quick "_Episkey." _Giles gasped in shock, but slowly straightened and rotated his shoulder slowly, testing out his range of motion.

"That's brilliant," he said in amazement.

Harry shook his head, placing his wand back in his robes. "That's nothing. You should see what Madame Pomfrey can do. She once had to re-grow all the bones in my arm in one night." Giles and Buffy both gaped at him and Harry chuckled awkwardly. "It's a long story. Anyway, shall we see if there are any compartments left?"

Buffy and Giles quickly agreed and followed Harry down the narrow aisle of the train, dragging their luggage behind them. Every so often, Buffy would peak into a compartment to see if girls had gotten safely on the train. Things hadn't gone exactly as planned with the whole boarding scenario and she wanted to make sure everyone was present and accounted for.

They finally found an empty compartment at the back of the train where Buffy tossed her things and left Harry and Giles to sit and chat about the upcoming year. "I'll be back in a bit," she told them as she slid out the door. "I just want to make sure everyone is on the train." She slid the compartment door shut and began strolling down the aisle, pausing in front of each compartment to check for a Slayer or two. The newest additions to the Slayer team, Amare, Fionna, and Emery were sitting and talking comfortably with Bryanna few compartments down from the one Buffy was sharing with Harry and Giles, no doubt questioning her about training and the life of a Slayer. About halfway down the aisle, a commotion caught Buffy's attention and she quickened her pace, lengthening her stride.

"What's going on?" Buffy asked, frowning as she surveyed the situation.

Rona and Mena, the new recruit from Durmstrang, were both facing a young boy with white blonde hair. The two Slayers both held menacing looks on their faces; Rona in a comfortable self-defense stance and Mena pointing her wand at the young man in question. A young boy, who looked exactly as Harry might have at the age of twelve or thirteen, stood a few paces back, holding out his wand. Buffy could barely make out a young girl with thick, curly red hair that had fallen around her face sitting with another boy who had dark red hair and freckles.

"Buffy," Rona nodded in recognition. "We were just taking care of a little pest problem here."

"You can't protect your blood traitor sister forever, Potter," the blonde sneered. "Father says a new power is rising and nothing your fantastic hero of a father can do will stop it. You and your family are going to meet a sticky end someday."

Buffy placed a firm hand on the blonde's shoulder and put just a little more pressure than was really necessary. She felt him wince under her grip. "I don't like it when people threaten my friends," she said in an ominous undertone. "I can guarantee you that at least three of us here can scare you senseless without blinking an eye." He turned around and gawked at her with tear-filled sky blue eyes. "Now run along back to your friends before I give you something to really cry about," Buffy gave him a shove out the door, causing the boy to stumble slightly before he practically ran to his compartment. "Who was that?" She asked, now turning her attention to Rona, Mena, and the three other people staring at her in amazement.

It was the boy on the seat who spoke up first. "Scorpius Malfoy," he said bitterly. "His dad and my dad have been rivals since their first day at Hogwarts. Scorpius felt the need to continue the tradition."

"Scorpius?" Buffy giggled through an ill-disguised snort. "What, did somebody lose a bet?"

"Well, his dad's name is Draco," the boy with the black hair piped up, "so you take your pick at which one is worse."

"That's Draco _Malfoy's_ son?" Buffy replied incredulously.

"You've met?"

"Briefly, yeah," Buffy nodded, holding a hand out to introduce herself. "I'm Buffy Summers, by the way. And you are?"

"Albus Potter," Harry's double shook her hand. "And that's my older brother, James, and younger sister Lily. They were named for our grandparents."

"And who were you named for?" Rona asked, staring at the younger boy, her light disdain shown in her expression.

Albus scowled at her for a moment. "My full name is Albus Severus Potter. I was named for two of the best headmasters Hogwarts has ever seen. I am very proud to carry the name my parents gave me."

Rona blinked a few times and shrugged. "That's cool. Don't be offended; I've just never heard a name like that before. It's very…unique."

Albus' expression relaxed and he offered a small smile. "No problem. I probably shouldn't complain too much since you just stood up to Malfoy. Any enemy of his is a friend of mine."

Buffy chuckled. "I can see you guys will be fine here. Rona, keep an eye on these kids, will you? I'm going to make sure everyone is on the train."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Rona mock-saluted. She waited for Buffy to begin her walk down the aisle of the train and then slid the compartment door shut. "You guys cool?" She addressed the young red-head girl who had been watching everything in silent awe.

"Yeah," the one called James answered for them. "Who was that, anyway?"

"Who, Buffy?" Rona asked, taking a seat across from the Potter kids. "She's head of the new security for Hogwarts."

James and Albus exchanged looks and frowned at Rona. "Why can't the Auror's provide security? And what do we need security for anyhow? Hogwarts is one of the safest places there is, with all of its protection charms."

"Well," Rona answered slowly, "I don't really know what an Auror, or whatever you said, is, but I think whoever runs the school just wants to be cautious. Not all magic-people are good, you know."

James nodded. His family knew that better than anyone. "But why now? What makes this year more special than the last fifteen?"

It was Mena who spoke up this time. "Can't you feel it?" She looked intently at James who sat directly across from her, her voice quiet and fervent. "Something is coming. Something is coming and unless we do everything in our power to stop it, we're all going to die."

James, Albus, and Lily all gaped at the two newcomers in fear and disbelief. Mena and Rona exchanged looks and shrugged. Turning back to the Potter's, Mena smiled benevolently and simply said, "What?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Uniting against a common enemy had brought the Potter's and the two Slayer's together and they soon found themselves laughing over a game of chess between Albus and Mena, of which Albus was soon to be declared the winner. He moved his last piece and grinned across the board at Mena. "Checkmate."

Rona and Mena both groaned as they watched the last of Mena's chess pieces essentially disintegrate under Albus' attack. "I have never met anyone who could beat me at chess," Mena finally said, smiling at her opponent. "You are a worthy adversary."

James exchanged an amused glance with Lily and winked at her. "I'm fairly certain no one says that anymore, unless it's a bad guy in a movie." Although the Potter's had grown up in the wizarding world, both of their parents had wanted them to have a good grasp of how things worked in the Muggle world as well. As a result, James had become somewhat of a movie buff. Nonetheless, the two newcomers both gave him a look and a slight blush crept up the back of James' neck to the tips of his ears. "Sorry," he began to explain, but Lily pointing at him and giggling caused him to lose his train of thought.

"You're blushing, Jamesie!" Lily giggled and pointed again. James clapped his hands over his ears and looked at Mena and Rona, completely mortified. As for the Slayers, they had both covered their mouths in a weak attempt to stifle giggles of their own. Albus looked at James as well and didn't bother hiding his own bemused expression.

"Ah, yes, the Weasley curse," Albus nodded knowingly.

Rona frowned at him. "I thought your last name was Potter."

"It is," Albus agreed, "but our mother is a Weasley."

"Still not getting it."

"Please forgive my brother," James cut in, his ears and neck now only a light shade of pink. "He has a tendency to skip over the important parts. The Weasley's are one of the last pureblood wizarding families in Britain. Not that we particularly care, mind you. Our grand mum and granddad are also a couple of the biggest blood traitors to date."

Rona nodded, understanding the family background, but still confused about something else. "What does that have to do with this curse though? Is it something the new security should be looking into?"

James laughed and shook his head. "It's not that kind of a curse. Pretty much anyone with Weasley blood has the misfortune of blushing to the tips of his or her ears when we're embarrassed, humiliated, or otherwise."

"Ah," Rona nodded sympathetically, "so there's no hiding it, huh? Everyone can tell."

"Yep."

"That sucks."

"Yep."

The conversation continued like this for the rest of the train ride. Rona would ask a question, which James or Albus would answer; Lily would make a side comment to Mena and so it went, back and forth until a Ravenclaw prefect poked her head into their compartment to tell them they were nearly there and to please change into their school robes.

Rona watched in amusement as James and Albus donned their Gryffindor robes, and Lily and Mena both put on simple black ones. She was eternally grateful to whoever she needed to be grateful to that she wasn't required to wear those robes. As a Slayer, she needed to be able to move freely and gracefully in a fight and those things would only slow her down. Hopefully Mena would be able to ditch them on patrol.

Not long after they had changed into their robes, the train slowed and finally stopped with a gentle lurch. James and Albus helped Lily with her trunk, while Rona and Mena each grabbed their own things and followed the rest of the students off the train. The two Slayers looked around the train station and waved at their fellow Slayers as they de-boarded. Amare, Bryanna and Emery all stood a pace behind the older girls, although none of them really felt completely in their element yet.

Just then a loud voice boomed over their heads causing all the Slayers and first years to jump. "Firs' years, this way! Come on, then, follow me!"

Buffy, Harry, Giles, Willow and Xander had been standing guard at the entrances to the train, making sure all of the girls had made it in one piece. After the last student had exited the Hogwarts Express, they exchanged glances, confirming that everyone was here and accounted for. A large crowd of first year students had gathered in front of a very large and gruff looking man who was smiling kindly down at them. "Excuse me," Buffy said, trying to gently push her way to the front. "Sorry, excuse me." A few first years obligingly moved out of her way and Buffy was finally able to make it to the front where she looked up at the giant in awe.

"Whoa. You're really tall," she finally managed. _Well, now, that was a Blinding Flash of the Obvious._

The giant chuckled throatily. "Yes miss, I guess I am at that. The names Hagrid. Rubeus Hagrid; Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts and Care of Magical Creatures professor."

"Well, um, Hagrid, was it?" Buffy waited as he nodded in affirmation. "I'm Buffy Summers. I'm sure someone has told you about my coming?"

Just then, Harry walked up next to Buffy. "Hey, Hagrid," he said, grinning. "Did you get my owl?"

Hagrid nodded and clapped Harry on the shoulder, who fought to keep his knees from buckling. "So she's one of _them_, 'eh? Doesn't look like much."

Buffy glared at him indignantly and Harry laughed, catching the expression on her face. "I assure you, Hagrid, all of these girls are much more than they seem. Now, are they to take the boats with the first years or are they riding up in the carriages?"

Hagrid looked down at Buffy and frowned. "The school is a migh' better lookin' when you see it from the boats," he started, "but I'm afraid I don't have enough room. Will you take 'em to the carriages, Harry?"

Harry nodded and turned to Buffy. "Come with me," he said.

Buffy turned around and beckoned to her group. "Um, Willow, Xander, Giles, everyone, come on! We're following Harry!" Once she saw everyone had heard her, she turned to Harry and frowned. "Harry, what are we supposed to with our stuff? Should we take it with us?"

Harry shook his head. "No, leave it here. It will be brought up to the school."

"Oh." Buffy shook her head in disbelief before calling out to the Slayers. "Hogwarts Security, leave your things here at the train station!" It had been decided a few days before they left that Buffy and the rest of the Slayers would be undercover, keeping their true identities top secret unless the students would be in danger not knowing who they were.

Willow, Xander and Giles walked up to Buffy, expectant looks on their faces. Willow smiled as she noticed a few of the students exchanging glances at Buffy's mention of security. So far, nobody knew about the rising threat that was potentially Draco Malfoy and so saw no need for extra security at Hogwarts. Once the rest of the Slayers; Amare, Emery, Bryanna, and Mena, all new recruits, Bryanna, Bernadette, and Cassidy, who had all been around for the last several years, and Rona and Violet, two of the original 'Sunnydale Slayers', had joined them, Harry led the new "security team" towards the carriages where the older students were also boarding.

Buffy, feeling both the need to be in charge of her team as well as completely out of control of the situation, walked a step behind Harry, meanwhile, trying to take in the sights and sounds around them. The sun was barely visible over the horizon and the stars twinkled in the darkening sky. The leaves in the trees rustled gently in the breeze and an owl hooted softly from the branches above them. Buffy was so engrossed in her surroundings that she didn't notice _what_ was connected to the carriages until she heard a loud, collective gasp behind her.

"Blimey! What are those?" It was Cassidy Bristol, a fourteen year old Irish girl who had discovered her calling just a little more than a year ago. The youngest of three children, her parents had originally had a difficult time accepting their daughter's destiny until seven months ago. Cassidy, on the other hand, had always known she was different from other girls and had been thrilled when her parents finally let her go train at the Council.

Harry turned around to see the young red-head, who looked remarkably like Ginny, pointing at the horse-like creatures in front of the carriages. The older slayers as well as Willow, Xander, and Giles were also staring at the beasts in wide-eyed amazement. Amare, Emery, and Fionna; however, simply looked in the same direction as the others, but it was clear that they could not see what the others could. "Ah," Harry replied awkwardly, "those are called thestrals."

Buffy immediately relaxed into a defensive stance, her eyes narrowed as she regarded the creatures. "What are they? How do we kill them?"

Xander placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and Buffy stiffened slightly, but turned to look at him. "Down girl. I don't think these things are a threat, right Harry?"

Harry nodded to confirm that Xander was correct. "Thestrals are invisible to anybody who hasn't seen death, so it would make sense that the majority of you can see them. I couldn't until my fifth year at Hogwarts, and I thought I was going mad because all of sudden, I saw something my friends could not. They get a pretty bad rap because of it; a lot of wizards think they're bad omens, but they're actually dead useful for knowing how to get from point A to point B."

The eldest Slayer's eyes softened as she tilted her head and regarded the ominous creatures under a new perspective. It wasn't fair really; that these thestrals had such a bad reputation just because they were visible only to those who had 'seen death'. Whatever that meant. Buffy certainly could identify with being misunderstood, though. She had felt that way for much of her life. Buffy gave the thestral standing before her a sympathetic glance then nodded brusquely to let the others know it was okay to go aboard the carriages.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once the returning students as well as Hogwarts new 'security staff' had boarded the carriages, they headed toward the school at a moderate pace, giving the newcomers and opportunity to view their surrounding. Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles had taken one carriage, while Dawn and Bernadette Aldridge, a fifteen year old Slayer from France had entered another, much to their dismay, with two very unpleasant students, Scorpius Malfoy and Aldis Zabini; Harry had joined his children and Mena Emerson in another, and the rest of the Slayers scattered among the students. More than once, gasps could be heard along the row of carriages from the various members of Hogwarts security at the incredible sights that met them along the way. Harry laughed as Mena kept sticking her head out the carriage window and turned this way and that, trying to take everything in.

"This is amazing! The journey to Durmstrang was quite beautiful," Mena said breathlessly, "but it was nothing compared to this!"

"If you like this," James told her laughingly, "wait until you see the actual school."

A few carriages back, Dawn fought the urge to roll her eyes at the snobbish young boy in front of her. She and Bernadette had taken one of the last carriages and had found that they were less than welcome by its occupants. Scorpius Malfoy had given them both a disdainful sneer before turning to his companion who seemed a bit more amiable. "I can't believe the sort of riff-raff they're letting into the school," Malfoy complained to the elder student as Dawn and Bernadette took their seats. "I mean, honestly, you'd think the Board of Governors would place restrictions on the types of _people_ they allow in."

The other student shook his head slightly and glanced at Dawn and Bernadette warningly. It was not wise to make such opinions so obvious upon the first meeting; they would need to tread carefully among these newcomers. "My apologies," he said benignly. "Mr. Malfoy here forgets his place."

Dawn nodded, offering a tight smile before holding her hand out to the young man before her. "Dawn Summers. And my companion here is Bernadette Aldridge."

"Aldis Zabini," the young man replied, taking Dawn's hand and firmly shaking it. "This boy at my side with the overly large mouth is Scorpius Malfoy."

Malfoy glared at Zabini, clearly annoyed at being referred to as a boy. He would argue that point with the older boy later. The elder Slytherin had taken him under his wing upon entering Hogwarts two years ago and Malfoy had begun to look up to him as an older brother. Deciding to follow Zabini's lead, Malfoy leaned forward and also offered his hand. "I apologize for my behavior before. I wish for a fresh start, if you are amiable?"

Dawn stared at him in shock; she had never heard anyone his age speak so formally. She reluctantly took his hand and nodded warily. "Yes, I suppose that would be agreeable."

Scorpius withdrew his hand and sat back, eyeing the younger girl seated next to Miss Summers. Bernadette had sat silently the entire exchange, her legs crossed gracefully at the ankle, hands placed gently on her lap. "Does she speak?" Scorpius asked suddenly, surprising the carriage's other occupants.

"I beg your pardon?" Dawn asked affronted.

"She hasn't said a word since you guys joined us," Scorpius defensively replied. "I thought maybe she was mute or something."

Dawn shook her head, hardly able to believe that this young man, _no, child, _would dare to speak to an adult this way. "I assure you," she told him coldly, "Bernie is not mute. And I would appreciate you keeping your inane comments to yourself for the remainder of the trip. It would do you well to learn to keep your mouth closed and your opinions to yourself." Dawn huffed angrily and turned to her younger companion. They bowed their heads close together and spoke quietly to one another, effectively blocking Malfoy and Zabini from their conversation for the rest of the trip to the school.

In the front carriage sat Buffy, Xander, Giles and Willow, all of whom were taking in the sights surrounding them with quiet amazement while trying to carry on a conversation regarding their plan for the school and their Slayers. "Do you think it was the right choice?" Buffy asked worriedly. "Coming here, I mean. Should we have just kept out of it and minded our own business?"

Giles patted his Slayer's hand gently and shook his head. "Buffy, you are the leader of this faction and we trust you implicitly. I believe that we will be able to assist Mr. Potter and his wizarding associates in this endeavor." _And hopefully help Willow regain some of her control._ He hadn't voiced it to anyone, but Giles had been doing some research and making contacts at the school, hoping that someone there would be able to help the Wicca center herself while they were there.

The carriages finally came to a stop and everyone exited to find themselves standing at the gate of a very large, very impressive castle. Buffy gasped loudly and spun around to find Harry standing behind her, grinning widely. "So, what do you think Miss Summers? Is the school to your liking?"

Buffy gaped at him for a moment before punching him in the arm, ignoring the loud "ouch" he offered. "It's a castle!" She finally exclaimed. "You told me it was big, but you never told me it was a freakin' castle!"

Harry laughed at her, still rubbing the sore spot on his arm. "Shall we? We'll need to get seated for the Welcoming Feast and the Sorting before the first years arrive."

Buffy looked at Harry questioningly before asking, "Sorting? What's that?"

"I forgot, I hadn't told you. The Sorting happens at the beginning of each year; it divides the new students into their houses where they'll stay for the next seven years of schooling. The Headmistress and I both thought it would be wise if the girls were also sorted so that each house could be assigned a few bodyguards."

The eldest Slayer nodded in agreement. That would certainly make her job of assigning the girls varying tasks a bit easier. She turned around quickly when she heard someone calling her name. "Buffy, come on!" Xander was shouting over the rising din of the returning students.

Harry politely offered his arm, which Buffy took gratefully, and they walked briskly to the entrance of the school, ignoring the less-than furtive glances and whispers at the sight of the famous Harry Potter escorting a woman who was not his wife. Harry placed his hand on the door and opened it, gesturing grandly as he lead the Slayer and her companions inside. He was about to officially welcome them to Hogwarts when Willow suddenly gasped and stumbled backwards, placing her hand against her heart.

"Wills!" Buffy and Xander cried out in alarm, rushing to their best friend's side. The Wicca hit the wall with force and tried to regain control of her now erratic breathing. Harry watched in alarm as her normally copper red hair darkened and blue veins began to appear on her hands and face.

"Willow, are you okay?" Buffy asked softly has she tried to get her friend to look at her.

Willow looked up suddenly, and Harry gasped loudly at her onyx eyes which glared at Buffy murderously. "What's it to you, bitch?" She snapped angrily. "Lay _off_!"

Xander then placed a hand gently on her shoulder and Willow turned her wrathful gaze on the man who had been there for her through everything. "Fight it, Will. I know you can. Don't let the magic take over." He stared unblinkingly into those pools of blackness, his own brown eyes offering nothing but love and compassion. "Come back to us. We love you."

Willow blinked and staggered away from her friends, sliding against the wall and sat heavily on the floor. She looked up at Buffy and Xander, the recognition returning to her eyes somewhat, though they had not regained their bright hazel color and shook her head, trying to clear it. "It's so hard," she whispered tightly. "The pull of magic is so strong. I just want to let go."

"You can't," Buffy knelt down next to her best friend, "it isn't time yet. We don't want to let the students in on all of our secrets on the first day, do we?"

Willow smiled weakly at her friend's attempt at a joke and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. _In…out…in…out…Focus on the white magick you possess, _she could almost hear Althanea's voice guiding her in lessons from long ago, _it is all connected. Find your strength in the earth; let it center you._ Willow slowly opened her eyes and looked tearfully at Buffy and Xander, all traces of darkness now gone. "I'm sorry," she told them plaintively. "Maybe I should return to Council headquarters so I don't endanger anyone."

"I've never heard such a ridiculous suggestion," a voice came from above them. Buffy hid a grin as she looked up to see Giles standing there, offering a hand to Willow, which she took gratefully. "You will do no such thing," he told her in a voice that brooked no argument as he helped the red-head to her feet. "You will remain here and we will determine what exactly is affecting your magic so negatively."

Willow nodded slowly, agreeable however somewhat reluctant. "Okay," she meekly replied. "It _would_ be nice to get my magic back under control. I don't like the feeling that the dark side is going to take over again."

"Quite understandable," Giles said, looking down at her sympathetically.

Once it had been determined that Willow was no longer absorbing the magic within the walls of Hogwarts at such an astonishing rate, Harry led Buffy and Dawn to the doors leading into the Great Hall. Willow, Xander and Giles followed close behind and the Slayers could be heard speaking in hushed voices, amazed at every new thing they encountered. Before Harry opened the door to the Great Hall, he turned around to face the young women, and few men, who had so willingly offered to help when they knew nothing about what they were going to face in the next few months. "Before we go in," he started, "I wanted to offer my gratitude to you all for coming. I can't tell you what a difference it will make to have competent people fighting this battle." Buffy grinned at him, knowing what a fiasco the last war had been. "Ah, but enough of that. When we go into the Great Hall, anyone seventeen and under will join the first year students to get Sorted. Don't worry about having any type of magical ability; the Sorting just determines in which House you will belong for the next several months."

The Slayers turned and whispered to each other furtively. "House? What does he mean house?"

Harry smiled at them all kindly before opening the doors to the Great Hall and allowing them all inside. "Welcome to Hogwarts, ladies and gents," he said, sweeping his arm in a grand gesture and smiling widely at the reactions from Slayers, Watchers and Wicca. The best by far was from Xander who had emitted a loud yell and a "Great googly-moogly!" Harry laughed loudly, while Buffy and Willow just shook their heads in fond exasperation at their friend who still kept his youthful charm and humor. The Slayers filed in behind them and headed in the direction Harry had pointed out to them, standing and waiting nervously to be Sorted.

Several professors who were seated at the head table suddenly ceased their conversations to watch the newcomers, wondering what made these girls so special that Harry Potter would employ them to protect the students. Minerva McGonagall sat in the seat reserved for the head of the school, feeling awkward in this place still after so many years. She and the heads of each house knew the identities of the women standing respectfully before them, but at this point did not feel the need to share all of the facts with the other professors. When Draco Malfoy became more of a threat, she would then disclose the rest of the information.

A moment later, the doors opened again, and they all watched as the older students walked in and took their seats at the varying tables. Several of the returning students were looking curiously at the young women who stood at the center of the Great Hall and whispering loudly to each other, clearly not caring if they were heard or not.

"Who are they?" A boy with light brown skin and dark, shaggy brown hair turned to another boy sitting next him.

A few tables over, a girl about fourteen or fifteen leaned over to her friend whispered loudly, "They look to old to be first years. What are they doing here?"

Finally, after much hushed conversation, the doors opened and a very tiny man walked through, followed by the first year students, most of who seemed to tower over him. Dawn placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a chuckle and whispered, "He's so cute!"

They watched curiously as the dwarf placed an old hat on a three-legged stool and stepped aside. He then turned to face the students and spoke in a high squeaky voice that made the girls giggle softly. "First year students, when I call your name, you will please come up and place the Sorting Hat on your head. Once you have been Sorted, go join your table and wait until the Sorting has finished to begin eating."

Headmistress McGonagall took this opportunity to stand and address the rest of the students. "I'm sure you're all wondering," she began in her Scottish brogue, "what these young women standing next to the first year students are doing here. It has come to our attention that Hogwarts has become lax in its security and while there is no foreseeable danger at the present time, we do not want to be caught unawares. As such, these girls will be providing extra security as well as attending a few classes with you to learn some rudimentary magic. While they are here, I expect that you treat them with respect and offer help should they require it. Once the first years have been Sorted, the security team will also partake in the Sorting Ceremony so that each house is provided with its own protection."

The students' eyes the gathering of young women with a more interested eye. What on earth made these girls so special that they could offer better protection than the wards currently around Hogwarts? And what exactly did they need protection from? Allowing her charges a moment or two for speculation, McGonagall lightly rapped her wand on the table to regain their attention.

"We also have a few new professors, for lack of a better term, joining us this year. While they are not professors in the true sense of the word, I ask that you all treat them as such. First, I would like to introduce Miss Buffy Summers," she gestured towards the petite blonde who stood and smiled benignly at the hundreds of faces staring at her curiously. "Miss Summers will oversee the activities of Dumbledore's Army as well as teach a class on Wandless Defense. Standing next to her is Miss Summers' younger sister, Dawn, who will assist in the Wandless Defense class and may appear time to time in Ancient Runes." Several of the older male students gave Dawn an appreciative glance, to which she responded with a slight shake of her head and an icy glare. Let there be no mistake: Dawn was not interested in a relationship of any kind with someone half her age. She was there to help and to teach, nothing more.

"Miss Willow Rosenberg will serve as an aid in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms and Transfiguration. She is not a traditional witch; however, she is very powerful and knowledgeable in her own right. It would serve many of you well to seek after her wisdom." At this, Willow blushed to the roots of her dark red hair, but stood gracefully and nodded her acquiescence at the students who were respectfully applauding. The applause died down and Willow returned to her seat, turning her attention back to the Headmistress.

McGonagall gave a slight nod towards the Wicca and looked in the direction of the dark haired man seated next to her. "Mr. Alexander Harris, while having no magical powers of his own, will primarily help Professor Hagrid in Care of Magical Creatures as well as with the grounds keeping duties. You are not, under any circumstance, to take advantage of the fact that you can perform magic while he cannot. Is this clear?"

The majority of the students nodded while several turned to whisper to each other. Since when did they let Muggles into Hogwarts? Seeing that he had garnered such a reaction, Xander stood and smiled brightly. "Um, I know no one has said anything yet for their introduction, but I thought you all should know a little something about me before you jump to conclusions." The whispering ceased and all eyes were focused on Xander who chuckled awkwardly. "Well, this is in no way awkward," he muttered. "Okay, first of all, it's Xander not Alexander. I probably won't respond to Mr. Harris either. Secondly, I'm not as defenseless as your dear Headmistress made me seem. I have been fighting evil since I was fifteen years old. I've been around magic and I've fought just about every kind of demon you can imagine and probably more. I've even helped save the world from imminent doom more times than I'd like to count. So I'm not a helpless mortal by any stretch of the imagination," Xander concluded gravely before offering a cheeky grin. "Besides, if you mess with me, there are several women here who could kill you before you pulled your wand out."

The headmistress barely held back a smile of her own as she saw several students gulp nervously. "Lastly, I would like to introduce Mr. Rupert Giles. Like Mr. Harris, Mr. Giles does not have any magical powers; however, he can perform some basic spells and incantations. He is also an untapped source of knowledge and I'm sure that if you are in need of some assistance on class papers, he would be more than willing to impart some of that knowledge to you. Now, let us continue with the Sorting."

With that, the first years and Slayers watched in silent awe as a tear in the hat that the small bearded man had earlier placed on the stool suddenly opened wide and the hat began to sing. A smattering of applause echoed through the Great Hall and by the looks on the new 'professors' faces, they were suitably impressed not only by a singing hat but one that had quite a vocabulary as well! The tiny man stepped forward (Professor Flitwick, they had been told during the Hat's song), unfurled a long scroll and began to read from it. Everyone clapped loudly as

_Addison, Schuyler _was sorted into RAVENCLAW,

_Finch-Fletchley, Abigail_ was sent to HUFFLEPUFF,

_Finnegan, Ethan _went to GRYFFINDOR,

_Goyle, Blake_…SLYTHERIN!

Finally, Professor Flitwick called out "Potter, Lillian!" And James and Albus both applauded heartily as their sister took her place on the stool, allowing the hat to fall down over her eyes.

_"Ah, yes, another Potter,"_ a raspy voice startled Lily and she jumped in her seat.

_"Um, yes. Lily,"_ she thought politely at the Hat.

_"Named for your grandmother, I'm sure,"_ the Hat replied. _"Now, let us see what's inside this head of yours…Hmmm…you are fiercely loyal, aren't you? Not a bad mind either, with cunning and bravery to match…I haven't had this much difficulty since your father came to Hogwarts, dear girl! It seems that you are suited for any of the Houses."_

Lily was stunned into silence at this. The Hat had had a difficult time Sorting her dad? He had never told her. What had he done in this situation? The Hat had put him into Gryffindor, she knew that, but she wondered if that was where she belonged and said as much to the Hat.

_"Hmmm…yes, Albus Dumbledore often thought that it is our choices that define who we are rather than the decisions made for us. Your father was given the choice between Gryffindor and Slytherin and he chose Gryffindor. You have a similar decision to make."_

The youngest Potter frowned thoughtfully under the Hat. _"But I have four houses to choose from! How will I know?"_ The Hat remained silent. Obviously, the choice was entirely up to her. Having been fairly sheltered from the world and the need to make important decisions for a large majority of her life, Lily did not feel entirely prepared to make a judgment that could affect her entire future. Nonetheless, she sat quietly and pondered her options for a moment. _"If I have to make the choice, with nothing else to guide me, then I guess I should stick with my family, right?"_

_"If you are certain," _the Hat replied, _"then it better be…_

GRYFFIN—PUFF!

Not really listening, everyone at the Gryffindor table began applauding and whooping loudly before someone asked loudly, "What did it say?" Suddenly, the applause ceased as soon as it had began and the Hall fell completely silent. The Hat had never tried to place someone in two houses before. Not immediately realizing what had just occurred, Lily had jumped down off the stool and started running towards the place her brothers had saved for her but froze when the reality of the situation hit her and turned back to look at the Hat, her expression a mixture of confusion and accusation. How could it put her in this position?

Professor McGonagall stood and cleared her throat awkwardly, which wasn't really necessary as the Hall was so silent you could have heard the quietest of noises. "Well, Miss Potter, take a seat then. Either table will do. We will discuss later how exactly you should proceed." Lily nodded and hurried towards the Gryffindor table, sitting between her brothers who both leaned in to give her a hug and whisper comfortingly to her.

The Sorting continued in normal fashion after that and finally Hugo Weasley was Sorted into GRYFFINDOR! It was now time for the Slayers to find their place among the Hogwarts students. Professor Flitwick withdrew another roll of parchment from his robes and began to read from it.

_Aldridge, Bernadette_! The French Slayer hurried forward and everyone waited with bated breath. "RAVENCLAW!"

_Bristol, Cassidy_ became a HUFFLEPUFF!

_Drummond, Fionna_ was called and she walked purposefully towards the stool and sat down, waiting for the Hat's verdict. To say that everyone who knew her was surprised when the Hat finally yelled "SLYTHERIN!" was an understatement. Fionna shrugged and walked to the table where her housemates sat. She would puzzle that one out later.

_Emerson, Mena_ was then sent to RAVENCLAW!

_Hainsworth, Brianna _became a GRYFFINDOR!

_Sende, Amara _went to HUFFLEPUFF!

And _Taggart, Emery_ joined GRYFFINDOR!

As Emery went to join Brianna at the Gryffindor table, the Headmistress stood once more and waited for the students to quiet down. "At last, the part of the evening many of you have been waiting for. Before I allow you to tuck in; however, I must review a few basic rules that many of you seem to forget over the summer break. Magic is not to be performed in hallways, the Forbidden Forest is off-limits to _everyone_, and should anyone wish to peruse the list of forbidden magical items, please speak with our caretaker, Mr. Filch. Now, please, tuck in!"

Suddenly, the empty platters that sat before them were filled to the brim with all varieties of meats, breads, puddings, and several foods that Buffy, Dawn and Xander had never seen before much less tasted. Buffy laughed in delight at the sight of all the food magically appearing in front of her and immediately reached for the large bowl of mashed potatoes. Not to be outdone, Xander piled his plate high with chicken, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pasties, and a pudding that was oddly green in color and began eating with gusto. They were so engrossed in their delicious meal that they hadn't noticed Harry join them at the table.

"A bit peckish, are we?" He asked teasingly as he reached for a couple of rolls and placed them on his plate. "You know, there was food on the plane."

Buffy jumped and swallowed a large piece of steak before turning to glare at Harry. "I'm a Slayer, remember?" She retorted in an undertone. "I metabolize things a lot faster than most people."

Harry nodded. The House Elves were in for a lot of extra work this year what with eight Slayers running around Hogwarts. Good thing they were getting compensated for their work or Hermione would blow a gasket.

"Where have you been, anyway?" Buffy asked as she speared a carrot and popped it in her mouth.

"Checking the wards around the school," Harry answered quietly. "I need to make sure everything is still holding the way it's supposed to."

"I assume everything is ship-shape," the Slayer responded equally as quietly. They couldn't risk students overhearing their conversation; although in this racket, Buffy was certain they could have been yelling and no one would have paid them any mind. "Since you're here eating and not running around trying to repair the wards, I mean."

"So far, so good. Hopefully they remain that way."

"Well, it's a good thing this place has so many powerful witches and wizards so that it's not all completely up to you to take care of it if things do go haywire," Buffy smiled. "Besides, I know one Wicca who can throw up a shield like it's nothing. And her protection wards are practically impenetrable."

Harry was about to open his mouth to tell her that these particular wards were of his own making. They contained his personal magical signature and if any other witch or wizard were to try to _improve_ upon them, said witch or wizard would be in for a nasty shock. Just as he began to speak, however, Buffy cut him off and said something that shocked him into silence.

"I almost forgot," she said excitedly waving her fork around in the air. "You missed some excitement with the Sorting thingy earlier."

"Oh?"

"Your daughter was Sorted into two Houses. Does that happen very often? Because by the way people reacted, it seemed like it was kind of out of the ordinary."

Harry gulped audibly. _Two Houses? Was that even possible? Which two? Merlin, please don't let it be Gryffindor and Slytherin. _"Er, no, that is a bit of an anomaly. Do you remember which two by chance?"

Buffy frowned for a moment. She was absolutely terrible with names and now Harry wanted her to remember which two Houses Lily had been Sorted into? "Uh, well I think it came out in a combination of the two but I don't really remember the right names for them to begin with," she finally answered.

Harry nodded in slight exasperation and turned his attention towards the Great Hall where students were eating and chatting amiably with one another. He focused on Lily's magical signature and sure enough, she was there, sitting between her brothers at the Gryffindor table. So she had been chosen for his old house, but what of the other? Where else would the Hat have thought it suitable for his only daughter to go?

She certainly was a bright little thing; forever curious and getting her hands on new books that Auntie 'Mione would bring for her. Even Al would ask her for help on one report or another because she had such a knack for finding the most obscure knowledge. Yet she had a cunning streak a mile wide, Harry had to concede to himself. She would never intentionally harm someone, but she certainly thought things through better than Harry ever had. And she was fiercely loyal to those she held most dear. Harry rubbed his eyes in frustration. His Lily was well-suited for all of the Houses; there was no way to make a distinction without speaking with her about it directly.

Lily must have felt her father's eyes on her, for she turned around and having spotted him, waved energetically. Harry immediately wiped the strained look around his eyes away and waved back at her, smiling widely, hoping he looked at least a little encouraging. Apparently it worked, because she turned her attention towards James and whispered something in his ear, pointing at one of the professors seated down the row.

"Who's that, Jamesie?" Lily asked, pointing at a man who looked about forty. His mildly thinning hair was dark blonde and he wore it off is face in low ponytail he had gathered at the nape of his neck, and he had bright green eyes that weren't nearly as piercing as her daddy's, but they were interesting in their own right. His face was very lightly tanned, as though he had spent a little time outside under the protection of an umbrella and some Muggle sunscreen, and Lily could see a light dusting of freckles across his cheeks and nose. The professor wore a distinct look of displeasure as he ate his meal in silence, almost glaring out at the noisy students. "He doesn't look very happy."

James looked in the direction Lily was pointing and nodded knowingly. "Professor Donnchaidh? He's the Transfiguration professor."

Lily nodded slowly, processing this information for a moment. "Why's he look so grumpy though? I thought all the professors like to be here."

"You know, Lily-bug, I'm not really sure," James confessed. "I think he mostly does it to scare the students; especially you firsties."

Lily turned to regard the professor again and tilted her head as though trying to gain the measure of the man by simply looking at him. After a moment, she looked back at James and told him, in utter seriousness, "I don't think he's so bad. I bet he's just a giant teddy bear underneath that frown. Maybe he just needs a hug."

James and Albus, having been listening to the exchange between his siblings, laughed heartily at this. When Lily frowned at them angrily, James gave her a quick squeeze. "We're not laughing at you, Lily. If anyone could get that man to crack a smile, it would be you. Who could resist your charm?"

Lily's expression relaxed and she returned to eating her dinner, finishing with all the gusto of a boy twice her age. Noticing she was drawing looks from the students sitting around her, Lily shrugged and popped a pumpkin pasty in her mouth. She couldn't help it if she was hungry, and besides that, she was nervous about being placed in two different Houses. Being nervous always made Lily hungrier than usual.

At last, Professor McGonagall stood up and rapped her wand on the table. "It is time you all were off to your Houses! Prefects, please lead the First years to their dormitories." She paused for a moment as the bedlam resumed and younger students scrambled to follow the older ones to their homes for the next seven years. "Miss Potter," she called just loudly enough for the students closest to the staff table to hear her, "please stay behind so we can discuss your arrangements."

Lily swallowed nervously and nodded, showing that she had indeed heard the headmistress and began walking towards the staff table. Albus gave her a light, encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Do you want us to wait?" He asked quietly and shrugged when she shook her head no.

Harry got up from his place at the table and went to join McGonagall, wondering how exactly they were going to handle this. When Lily reached them, she was smiling bravely, but Harry could see the nervousness and slight fear in her eyes. Was she afraid that he would be mad at her for being chosen for two of the houses?

There was no time to ponder this as McGonagall leaned forward in her chair and looked at Lily with a mixture of curiosity and confusion in her expression. "Ah, Miss Potter. It seems you have presented us with quite a conundrum here."

Lily frowned along with Harry, although for different reasons. Lily wasn't entirely certain what a _conundrum_ was; she was smart, but not a genius for goodness sakes! And Harry couldn't believe how much McGonagall sounded like Albus Dumbledore. She would be offering them Lemon Drops in no time!

Noticing Lily's look of confusion, the headmistress tried to amend her words. "Having been chosen for both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, you leave us with a bit of a problem. I can either tell you where I think you would be suited, or you can have the choice. What would you prefer?"

"I don't know," Lily shrugged. "The Hat said the same thing, and somehow, I ended up in 'Gryffinpuff'. Maybe you should just create a new house, just for me."

"Can I make a suggestion?" Harry interjected, seeing his daughter's frustration and wanting to end the conversation so she could find a place to belong. Although, that probably wouldn't happen tonight, given what he was about to say. "Why doesn't Lily spend a few weeks in each House and then decide which one is best suited to her liking? It's not every day a student has the opportunity to get to know the students in the different houses on such a personal level and if I know my daughter, she will want to make an informed decision."

McGonagall seemed to consider this for a moment and affirmed this suggestion with a nod. "Does this seem agreeable to you, Miss Potter?"

"Oh, yes, Ma'am!" Lily agreed emphatically. "I think it's a wonderful idea!"

"All right, then, why don't you begin your first few weeks at Hogwarts with the Gryffindors so your brothers can keep the watchful eye on you that I am so certain they have been instructed." The headmistress smiled at the young girl's sudden exuberance. "Be off with you then!"

Lily nodded and bounced on her toes as she thanked Professor McGonagall and gave her daddy a hug before turning and practically running out of the Hall. She had just reached the door when she turned around and signaled Harry with a loud yell. "Hey, Dad? I don't know how to get to Gryffindor tower!"

Harry laughed and shook his head, jogging to meet up with his little girl who was growing into a fine young lady. He held open the door for her and offered his arm which Lily took gracefully and they strolled together through the halls of Hogwarts laughing as Harry told Lily of many of his less dangerous adventures during his time as a student. At last, they reached the portrait hole and ignoring the Fat Lady's cries of excited recognition, Harry gave the password, "Phoenix Tears," and the portrait swung aside. After more hugs and reassurances that she would do just fine on her own, Lily scrambled inside and went straight to her dorm, hoping her things were waiting for her, because she would have liked nothing more than to put on a nightgown and go to bed. Much excited laughter and conversations dictated this would not be the case and Lily was finally able to succumb to the arms of sleep another two hours later. She never moved the entire night.


End file.
